A Final Farewell
by Amberglass
Summary: When Logan gets a letter from Max from beyond the grave. He is finally forced to come to terms with her death. Meanwhile Max struggles to get back to him. Set in and after DT. ML
1. The Letter

The Letter  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters they all belong to James Cameron. I wish I did own some of them. Too Bad.  
  
A/N This is a short fic about a letter that Max wrote to Logan before AJBAC. He is just receiving the letter now.  
  
Original Cindy walked down the long hallway to Logan Cale's apartment. It had been almost a week since Max and Zack had gone to take Manticore down. In her hand she held a letter Max had written to Logan. She walked to Logan's door ad knocked. She waited and when the door opened she could tell that Logan hadn't slept or eaten in days.  
  
"Cindy, what are you doing here?" He said gruffly. His shirt was wrinkled and had stains on it. It wasn't like him to look so unkempt.  
  
"I have something for you from Max. She gave it to me just before she left."  
  
"Oh." He reached out and took if from her. He turned it over and over in his hand. Looking for anything that might alert him to what was inside. "Do you want to come in?" he asked.  
  
"No, that's okay. I just stopped by to drop it off on my way to work. I'll probably be late but I had to get you the letter she made me promise to get it to you. So I'll leave you to open it in peace." She turned to walk away but stopped. "She loved you Logan you know that right more then a friend. All she wanted was to be free of Manticore but I guess that I didn't have to tell you that. She didn't want to have to worry about her life or yours being in danger. You two deserved to be happy together I know that much. She gave up her life doing what she knew was right."  
  
"We'll never get the chance to find out what could have been. We spent a year dancing around each other and now we'll never know what might have been."  
  
Cindy put her hand on Logan's shoulder comfortingly. "I know, but at least we have memories, keep trying to think of the good times that you had together. I'll see you later Logan take care of yourself and change your clothes you look like hell frozen over." He smiled lightly at her hell comment; she then hugged him tight, and walked slowly down the hall.  
  
~*~  
  
Logan sat at his desk staring at the letter. He didn't have the heart to open it, not yet. He wasn't ready to let Max go he didn't know if he ever would be.  
  
He hadn't slept in two days he hadn't dared to. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was her limp form in his arms, her beautiful eyes closed forever. At night he lay awake in his bed imagining her. He had waking dreams as he stared at the computer screen. He dreamed that she was on a mission and would walk through the door at any moment, but he knew that, that wasn't true.  
  
He kept himself busy, not wanting to stop. He typed away on his computer hacking trying to do anything that would keep his mind off of her. He didn't stop day in or day out because when he did, he had to face the fact that she was really gone and he didn't want to. He put the letter in his desk drawer not wanting to open it yet. He knew that he shouldn't but he blamed himself for what had happened. If he had gotten there only a few seconds earlier he could have stopped the X-7 that had shot Max and then maybe she'd still be alive.  
  
~*~  
  
Three weeks later, forgetting her hadn't been any easier. Nothing was the same anymore. He didn't find her picking the lock to his apartment and he missed that. It was funny; the small things were what he missed the most. Him coming in from the market finding her raiding his fridge. Their almost annual dinners together, talking about her friends, her work anything that would make small talk and then the more in depth conversations about the next thing that she would have to steal for him.  
  
Every time something went wrong his first instinct was to call Max. She had always been there to fix everything. He had almost dialed her pager number when he had something that he needed her to get. He had a message from her on his answering machine that he played over and over again just to hear her voice.  
  
He knew that over time the pain would lessen. He would never forget her, he couldn't but the pain would be easier to deal with as time went on. That thought came to a screeching halt.  
  
He was looking through his desk drawers looking for some papers that her had misplaced when he found the plain whit envelope. He had completely forgotten about it so finally after staring at it for 20 minutes he opened it.  
  
Dear Logan,  
  
If you're reading this letter than something has happened to me. Chances are Cindy probably gave you this letter, you forgot about it and you just opened it. I know I'm right with all the papers on your desk it was probably buried for awhile. Cindy promised me before we left that she would give this to you if I didn't return. So I guess that I didn't return and for that I am so sorry.  
  
As I sit here with the city spread out at my feet I think about all the wonderful times that we have spent together over the last year. Of course there were some fights that could have been avoided, we were both just too stubborn to change our minds. Admit it you are just as stubborn as I am sometimes.  
  
The greatest gift that I have ever known was you. I can see you in my minds eye sitting at your desk reading this and I feel an overwhelming sense of love for you. If you think that my death was your fault, don't. You're thinking that if you hadn't put the idea of storming Manticore in my head. Forget it, when could you ever tell me what to do? I chose my life, I did what I wanted, and not even you could change that.  
  
I'm free now, from everything, Manticore can't hurt me anymore and I know that in some big way you played a part in all of that. I know you think of death as ending I did too at first. But to me this is how a person goes dying for important things-that to me is better than living safe. Not that I ever did anything safe especially when it came down to doing something for you.  
  
I hope that this letter finds you well and safe. I don't want you to be sad. I know I died doing the right thing. I gave the biggest thing that I had to give to you, my heart all of it. After everything that we've been through together you deserve it. For a long time before I met you I didn't even think that I had a heart. I wanted to be the cold heartless bitch so that no one would have the chance to hurt me. But after meeting you that all changed, you showed me that I didn't have to be afraid, that every guy wasn't going to hurt me, and for some unknown reason, I believed you. I still believe that. You've saved my butt more than once and I saved more then once, we're even.  
  
Mostly I want you to be happy. Don't dwell on what you can't change. I want you to find someone you can be happy with. Someone who makes you feel good about yourself. You have to live for me. Live your life to the fullest take risks no matter what happens.  
  
I want you to remember that I love you and that I know in my heart that you love me too. Even though you never said as much. I could see it in your eyes when you looked at me. Take care of yourself; don't do anything that I wouldn't do, which is nothing.  
  
I will forever be in your heart and you in mine,  
  
MAX  
  
Logan folded up the letter and for the first time since the siege, his pent up emotions bust out of control. He needed to hit something so he went to his home gym and pounded on his punching bag. At that moment he realized that everything sooner or later was going to be okay. That Max knew what he was always trying to tell her, that he loved her and that she loved him. Max loved him and at that moment he could feel the pieces of his broken heart slowly starting to mend.  
  
A/N: Thanks to those of you who read the story please review it, I would very much appreciate it. Thanks for Reading!!! 


	2. Confinement

A Final Farwell  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it; it all belongs to James Cameron, not to me. I own nothing but a computer and a few CDs.  
  
A/N: Okay, I first intended this to be a one shot thing but then I realized how many people wanted me to go on with this story and then my head got the better of me and then the plot bunnies started to work their magic and the rest of the story finally took shape. The story may not seem too happy at the beginning a lot of it will reflect DT, but some things will be different. I promise that this will have a happy ending (I THINK!). It will only be about 9 or 10 chapters depending on how much detail I feel like putting into it and depending on whether the plot keeps to the plan that has been milling around my head. Okay on with the story. Thank as always for reading!!!  
  
A/N 2: I know the first chapter had to do a lot with Logan, but now most of the story will be about Max and the struggles that she had to face to get back to Logan. White in this story and directly works with Renfro, but he is still a familiar. HE will play a big part at keeping Max from Logan.  
  
Max sat in the dark looking at the ceiling; she had been strapped to the bed having to listen to the beating of her dead brother, Zack's heart for what seemed like an eternity. Finally after an hour she had been able to drown out the sound of it. The bitch Renfro or whatever her name was had turned the heart monitor up after that forcing her to hear it.  
  
She had slipped a paper clip that she had found in Renfro's pocket into her hand when she had leaned over Max to see if the bonds that kept her on the bed were secure. Working it open she discreetly inserted it into the lock of the bond that held her hand to the table. She moved it around and heard the soft click that signaled the lock had been released. Pulling her arm up slightly heeding the warning that Renfro had given her about pulling a stitch she felt the bond slid slowly off her arm.  
  
Reaching over to the bond that held her torso to the table she unlocked that and with all the care that she could take sat up. She unlocked the remaining bonds on her hand and legs and started to slide ff the table when she felt a wave of nausea overtake her. She sat back down quickly and let it pass. She crept slowly to the door of the lab and pulled it open praying that the way was all clear. She peeked out slightly and to her immense relief she saw no one coming either way.  
  
Walking to the left she kept on walking until she found a set of stairs, taking them down to the last floor that they could go she opened the door that led into she found out a sub-basement. She heard a soft growl and saw a very large shadow at the wall. Into to view came only what could be described as a dog boy. "Whoa, big fella easy now."  
  
"Big fella, me Joshua." Max was surprised to hear that it had a name but was stunned and surprised to hear that Joshua could talk.  
  
"Does Joshua know a way out of here?" Max asked him. He looked thoughtful for a minute and then beckoned for her to follow him. He took her down a winding hallway and past doors that held what Ben would have called 'nomalies people who looked like fish, cats and some who didn't look like much of anything, just plain bad.  
  
He stopped in front of a large stack of plastic boxes. He looked proud to have shown her the way. "Here." He lifted the top box off the stack to reveal a window covered with bars.  
  
She stared at it thinking about how freedom would taste again Her dreams were shattered when she noticed the bars that covered the windows. "That's not going to work. I can't pull the bars off and neither can you they've been cemented to the wall. She started to walk back the way they had come and heard pounding above them. Running to the stairwell she walked slowly up the stairs knowing that sooner or later they would find her and knowing that they would probably throw her into a regular cell which would be harder to escape from.  
  
Hearing the footsteps get closer she crept slowly along the wall a few times dodging into an office to keep from being seen. Ducking into the last office in the hallway while the guards marched by she heard someone clear their throat. "Let me guess, you would be who they are looking for."  
  
Turning around slowly she saw a face that she'd never see again. "Ben?"  
  
He smirked smugly "Ah, you must be referring to my crazy twin, clone whatever. No I am 494." He stood up from the chair that he had looked quite comfortable in. He crossed over to the door and opened it. "She's in here." He shouted down the hallway.  
  
Max spun around and glared at him. "Why the hell did you do that you son of a bitch?"  
  
"Actually that would be son of a test tube if you wanted to be politically correct." He backed away from the door and let 3 guards into the room. They grabbed Max not roughly but firmly by the arms and led her down the hall to an office where Renfro was waiting.  
  
"Hello 452 how lovely to see you again."  
  
"My name is Max." She yelled. She could hear Alec laughing softly behind her and was tempted to tell him to shut up. But she didn't think that, that would be smart with the director of Manticore standing in front of her.  
  
There was another man standing behind the desk. Renfro turned to him and asked, "How long can an X-5 last without food and water."  
  
He thought for a minute and replied, "A few weeks without food, a week without water maybe longer."  
  
"Put her in Solitary." She instructed the guards. They walked me to Solitary which was in the basement with the 'nomalies. They kept her in Solitary for about a week. Sensory deprivation was the key to their weakening process, she didn't see any light and didn't hear anything for that amount of time. They slid water through a compartment at the bottom of the door, just big enough to fit a glass through. Even then no light could be seen.  
  
Then one day the door opened. "Have you had enough?" Renfro asked Max. The sound of a human voice to Max was strange and unfamiliar.  
  
"Yes, ma'am/" Max said her voice cracking, from disuse. She had her face and body turned towards the back wall to shield her eyes from the light that flooded the room. She had been sitting in the same position since they had put her there she only moved to get the water that was given to her 3 times everyday.  
  
Max stood up slowly stumbling, when her knees gave out. Bracing herself on the wall to keep herself from falling. It was then that she noticed the guards that flanked Renfro on both sides. They moved forward and she could see behind her stood 494. What in the hell was he doing there? Max wondered technically she didn't care as long as she could get out of the godforsaken cell. 494 stepped around Renfro and grabbed her left arm and helped her stand. She was put into another cell; this one at least had a light in it and a door with a window and an actual bed with a mattress.  
  
She was given a uniform and had to participate in training. The days were filled with martial arts and street combat. Nothing she hadn't been put through when she was 9.  
  
One day while fighting she had started to bleed from the incision on her chest. She was healing quickly but she wasn't completely healed. She had been fighting 494 when she had started. He had been pinning her to the mat face down and when she had gotten up there was a dark red spot of blood on it. 494 had followed her to the medical wing apologizing all the way.  
  
The attending doctor had, had to stitch her up again in the part where the incision had not healed. 494 had accompanied her back to her cell. The doctor had told her that she was not allowed to do anything strenuous for the next week. Renfro hadn't complied with that she told Max that she had to be at training the next day or risk going into solitary again. She didn't want to risk it so she just didn't try to fight as hard. When she was up against an opponent that she knew she couldn't win against unless she really tried she would let the person pin her so she didn't bleed again. So far it had been working and soon the wound was all healed.  
  
She went to the doctor on the day she had discovered that it had been closed and he had taken out the stitches. He had told her that she would have a permanent scar on her chest and to his surprise she had said good. She didn't want to forget Zack and what he had done for her, dying so that he could save her life.  
  
She was lying in her cell that night when the door opened, it was 494. "What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"Nice to see you too." He said sarcastically.  
  
"You didn't answer my question." She said sitting up. He moved to sit on the bed.  
  
"Let's get this over with," he said taking his shirt off.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Max practically yelled at him.  
  
"We've been assigned as breeding partners."  
  
"Right." Max said skeptically, shaking her head in disbelief.  
  
He moved closer and she kicked him in the stomach. "What the hell was that for?"  
  
"That would be the only physical contact you and I are ever going to have." She said standing up.  
  
"You brought this on yourself you know, if your brothers and sisters and you hadn't blown up the DNA lab maybe we wouldn't be having to do this."  
  
"We're not going to be doing this. I would jump off the Seattle Space Needle before I let you touch me." She paced back and forth across the room.  
  
"That's cold I have in my day been known to be able to woo the ladies." "I'm sure." Max said sarcastically.  
  
"So what are we going to do for the next hour, the guard won't let me out for that long." He said standing up also.  
  
"Sit over there and don't talk." Max said motioning to the chair that sat in the corner.  
  
"But-"  
  
Max cut him off, "Not a word out of you."  
  
They sat there for almost a half an hour in silence until Alec finally broke down. "SO your name is Max."  
  
"I thought you weren't talking." Max said not looking at him.  
  
"I can't take the silence anymore."  
  
"Oh okay we'll if the silence bothers you." Max said rolling her eyes.  
  
"So as I was saying, your name is Max."  
  
"Yes, my brother Zack named me my whole unit had names there was Zack, Jondy, Tinga, Brin, Jack, Jace, Syl, Krit, Zane, Eva, Seth, Ben and a few others. I really should give you a name I can't keep calling you 494." Max sat thinking alternating looking at him and at the floor. "How about Alec?" he looked at her questioningly. "As in smart aleck."  
  
"Alec. I like it." He said leaning back in the chair.  
  
"Good, because my next choice was Dick."  
  
After the hour was up Alec knocked on the cell door and the guard came to let him out. "See you tomorrow Max." And with a flourish he was gone. 


	3. Long Talks

A Final Farewell  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel it belongs to James Cameron and the people at Fox, not me all I own is a can of soda and a computer.  
  
A/N: Okay I have realized that the name A Final Farewell doesn't quite suit the story because I came up with the name when it was only going to be a one shot thing but I have decided not to change it so people will still be able to recognize it. Anyway thanks to those of you who reviewed for the encouragement and all I can say is please keep them coming they are very much appreciated and tell me that people are actually enjoying my story. To those of you who haven't what are you waiting for? Anyway thanks for reading.  
  
The next morning at breakfast as usual she sat alone, not that that was anything unusual she had been doing it since she had gotten there. She was considered a traitor and no one would even talk to her if she initiated a conversation. Then again conversation starting wasn't exactly look at as a good thing. Conversation in general to the superiors was just plain bad.  
  
She threw her tray out and walked toward the double doors that led to the hallway. She felt eyes following her and turned to see almost every eye in the mess hall staring at her. She didn't know why she just knew that she had to get out of there as fast as she could.  
  
She started down the hallway to the gym she needed to work out to make sure that she was in top shape for her evaluation. That morning she had been told that because she had been outside for the past 10 years they had to make sure that she was in prime physical and psychological health. If she was found incompetent she would be subjected to reindoctrination. Not the most fun process in the world she thought to herself.  
  
Walking into the gym she was assaulted by the smell of sweat. She walked around and looked at the different machines. This was the first time that she had been in there since her return. It was different from the last time she had been in there. The machines were the latest equipment instead of the old worn out machines that had been there 10 years ago. She found a bench press that was open, adjusted the weight and started to do 3 reps of 20.  
  
She was almost done when she heard a sigh next to her. "Are you X-5 452?" Said the man that was sitting on the bench but not working out next to her.  
  
"Yes, what do you want?" She continued to finish her reps.  
  
"Renfro would like to see you." Max finished and looked over at him.  
  
"Yeah hold on." She took the towel that she had grabbed off the cart when she had entered the gym and wiped her sweaty neck and arms.  
  
"She would like to see you now." He grasped her arm and started pulling her towards the door. She pulled free and walked in front of him. Every once in a while glancing back to see him still following her. He gave her an uneasy feeling and she was happy when they reached Renfro's office.  
  
"Ah 452, how nice to see you again. Before we begin your physical evaluation I would just like to say that it is nice to have you back here." She gave her a quick smile and then her face became the impassive stone that it was always. "If you fail the physical part we will put you through the most rigorous training of your life then after a week we will put you through another evaluation if you continue to fail you will continue to be put through training and we will keep doing that until you can win."  
  
"What happens if I win?" Max asked.  
  
"Then you will continue to train with the other members of your unit every day and every month you will be subjected to a physical evaluation."  
  
"Okay. What about the psychological evaluation?" Max questioned.  
  
"The psychological evaluation will consist of a lie detector test. You will be given sodium penethol or truth serum under which you cannot lie, not even you. The later units were given in there genetic code, the ability to bypass it, unfortunately when you were created we didn't have the technology to do that."  
  
Max cast a glance at Reden and caught him looking back at her, he didn't look so tough. He certainly wasn't as tough as Zack had been and she had been known to kick his ass a time or two.  
  
"You will challenge each other in the rec. room. The match will be the best out of 3. A victory will consist of one of you holding the other to the mat for 3 seconds if you succeed in that then that will be the end of a round. Now I want you both to take some time to prepare the match will begin at 12." She looked at her watch and continued. " That will mean 2 hours from now. 452 I have already talked to your superiors you are excused from your morning training. Go to the gym do what you have to, to get ready. You may go."  
  
Max and Reden left the room at the same time Max going one-way Reden going the other. Max was looking at the floor when she bumped into something. She looked up sharply to see Alec standing right in front of her. "Hello, plague of my life."  
  
"You don't mean that Maxie." He assumed with a playful grin.  
  
"Don't I? I would rather befriend a 7-foot shark, that talk to you."  
  
"So where were you going in such a hurry Maxie?" Alec questioned.  
  
"It doesn't matter."  
  
"Yes it does no one moves as quick as you when you are trying to do something important."  
  
"Fine, you want to know what I am doing, I have to go for a physical evaluation in 2 hours against a guy that I can in no way possible beat." She yelled at him.  
  
"Max calm down, do you want the whole compound to hear you?"  
  
"I wish they would, 'cause maybe then they would stop looking at me like I'm some kind of freak and realize that I'm just like them."  
  
"But that is the problem Max you're not like them, you've been on the outside where they can never go, you've seen things that they have only dreamed of, you've tried to live a normal life, something that they can never have. No Max you are nothing like them, and that's what makes you special. They look at you not like some freak but as the person that they wish they could be." He paused and looked at her. "As the person that I wish I could be." He moved closer until their faces were only inches apart. Max pushed him away and stared at him incredulously.  
  
"Don't Alec, just don't."  
  
"Why? I thought you were attracted to me you acted like you were last night."  
  
"You arrogant, self-absorbed, conceited, egotistical, self-centered, narcissistic, son of a. uhh" She could think of any more words for what he was. "If I for any reason you thought that I was leading you on I'm sorry." He continued to stare at her idiotically. "Alec I am attracted to you, believe me I am, but I have someone back home who is waiting for me and even if I never see him again I couldn't do that to him, I couldn't live with the guilt that I had betrayed him." She paused for a minute and thought about what else she could say to make him understand. "I love him Alec, and even though I've never told him, he knows that I love him, and I know that he loves me back."  
  
Max was surprised by her own words, she realized that, that was the first time that she had admitted it to herself. She loved Logan and nothing could change that, not even being 200 hundred miles away from him. She had written it in the letter but she had only written it to satisfy her conscience, it was the first time that she had ever said it out-loud. She realized that Alec was talking at her. "What?" She asked.  
  
"What planet are you on?" He asked.  
  
"Just thinking, what can you tell me about this Reden guy?"  
  
"You're up against Reden. this is great." He said sarcastically. "He's one of the best fighters that I have ever seen, you go up against him you will get beaten. But I can give you some tips that might help you out."  
  
"Why are you helping me?" Max questioned.  
  
"You'd be asleep by the time that I got to your cell every night."  
  
"I don't sleep." That had been the exact same line that she had used with Zack. "To much shark DNA in my cocktail. As you know sharks don't need to sleep therefore neither do I." She smiled wryly. "So back to Reden, how do I beat him?"  
  
"You don't."  
  
"What do you mean I don't?"  
  
"Reden is the strongest fighter that Manticore has ever created. They put a lot of tiger, shark, and other strong animals in his 'cocktail' as you call it." He even did the air quotes, which made Max smile.  
  
"Air quotes a classic, so back to Reden for the third time." Changing the subject as quickly as she could.  
  
"He doesn't have a lot of street fight training, he doesn't fight dirty he sticks to the books. You've been fighting on the streets for what 10 years you must have learned some tricks that he hasn't. You use the ones that you think he doesn't know chances are he won't know any of them. You use those and you may have a chance. It may be a snowball in hell's chance of winning, but at least it is a chance."  
  
"Thanks for your wonderful support in my fighting ability."  
  
"Let's go to the training room, you can practice some moves no one will be there, they all have morning training outside."  
  
"Don't you have morning training?"  
  
"No I have been excused, it's one advantage to being Renfro's lap dog, she gives me off whenever I feel like it."  
  
"Must be nice and I'm sure she doesn't make you go for evaluations." She looked at him for an answer. Under her scrutiny he looked away suddenly. "You are so much like Ben."  
  
"Am I? I didn't think that we had anything in common except looks. At least I'm not crazy."  
  
Max whipped around suddenly to look at him, her face full of rage. "Don't you dare talk about Ben like you know him. He wasn't crazy; there were just some things that he didn't understand in the big bad world. You know absolutely nothing about him."  
  
"I know that because of him, I spent six months in psy-ops having my mind poked around in to make sure that the craziness wasn't genetic."  
  
"Looks like it was." Max muttered under her breath.  
  
"I heard that." Alec told her.  
  
"Sorry I blew up on you, I just get defensive when it comes to my family, they are everything that I have in the world and I can't stand when people bad mouth them. I know Ben was killing people I understand that it was wrong, but in some weird way it was his means of crying out for help, and no one would listen."  
  
"I'm sorry I brought the whole crazy thing up."  
  
"Actually I'm glad that you did, talking about him makes things easier to deal with."  
  
While they were talking they had been walking down the hallway that led to the training room, now they were in front of it. Alec being the gentlemen that he was opened the door for Max. "After you Maxie."  
  
"I really wish that you wouldn't call me that. I haven't been Maxie in over ten years and even then that was only to my family."  
  
"Okay Maxie." He said emphasizing her name.  
  
Max sighed and walked through the doorway. "You really are impossible you know that."  
  
"It's one of the things that makes me charming." Alec said in an arrogant tone.  
  
"Charming? Yeah you wish." Said Max mockingly. She looked around and only one word came to mind. "Wow." Was all she said.  
  
A/N: I have a little problem, I won't have computer access for a while probably until next week, around Thursday or Wednesday so I may not be able to update for a while. If by chance I can get to the library I might be able to upload it probably around Friday or Saturday. So please hang in there and I promise that I will update as quickly as I can. SO in the meanwhile please review because reviews make me happy. 


	4. Fighting

A Final Farewell  
  
Chapter 4  
  
A/N: Here's the 4th chapter. I know that I said I wouldn't have computer access until Friday or Saturday but my brother unknowingly left his laptop home with me and I started to use it and ended up writing a whole other chapter before he realized that he had left it home. Oh well his mistake but good for all of you who read my stories. Thanks for reading!!!  
  
Max and Alec spent the hour that she had left before her evaluation practicing hand-to-hand combat, Alec tired out easily while Max could have lasted for more hours at a time. She didn't want to wear herself down too much just in case what Alec had said about Reden was true that this would be a hard fight. "Have you had enough?" Max asked as she pinned Alec to the ground.  
  
"Okay I give." Glancing up at the clock he said "You should probably head to the rec. room it's almost 12."  
  
Sighing Max let him up, "Okay, if you don't see me you can pretty much suspect that I failed and am now miserably working out in the gym." Wiping of her hands she headed towards the door. Alec had gotten two guards to make sure that they weren't disturbed during the session they moved aside and let her pass through the double doors.  
  
She glanced at Alec who was sitting up on the mat staring back at her. She gave him a small smile and saw him mouth "good luck" she was going to need it desperately. The guards from the training center had followed her to the rec. room to make sure that she got there okay. She took a deep breath and pushed through the door. Renfro and Reden were already waiting for her when she got there.  
  
Pushing her hair out of her face she could see that they were both staring at her. Rubbing her hands together Max said, "Okay let's get this bitch over with." She walked to the mat that was position in the center of the room and watched as Reden took his position opposite from her. Blowing a whistle Renfro signaled the start of the match.  
  
Circling each other it took well over a minute for anyone to make the first move. Max lunged at Reden and promptly took him down to the ground she started to punch him in the face when he pulled out from underneath her. She wasn't surprised at this move and was ready with a leg swipe. She moved her leg to pull his legs out from underneath him and was satisfied when he fell to the ground with a thud. Jumping on top of him he was winded enough from the fall to stay on the ground long enough for Max to pin him on the ground. Blowing the whistle again Renfro signaled that Max had won the match.  
  
Both of them got up and another round started. Reden wasted no time in charging Max, he grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her down to the ground looking at her triumphantly. Max stared back venomously and threw a kick upward into his private area, backing off immediately she body slammed him and was getting ready to pin him when from behind he used his free fist to hit her in the temples. Her head was spinning and only when she heard the whistle blow did she know that she had lost. "Come on 452 you can do better then that. They must have given you a lousy heart/" Letting her up he took his position on the other side of the mat. The whistle blew and Max waited a minute to plan out her attack strategy. She was going to start with a swift kick to the stomach and then start with a few punches to his jawbone. It wasn't much of a plan but it would work.  
  
She waited for him to come after her first and when he charged he left his stomach open to a frontal attack. She jumped and landed a brutal kick to the ribs, satisfied when she heard the crunch of bones under her foot. Smiling to herself when she landed on her feet and watched him drop to the ground in pain. She walked over warily just in case his tolerance for pain was higher then she had thought and he had dropped to the ground just to fool her.  
  
Standing over him she watched as he rolled around on the ground, pleased when she saw the pain radiating from his eyes. Waiting for a minute to make sure that he wasn't going to get up she flopped down on top of him and pinned him to the mat. She felt a deep sense of self-pride for herself when she heard the whistle blow in her favor.  
  
"Congratulations 452." She said emotionlessly.  
  
"Thank you ma'am." Max said just as emotionlessly. Inside she was excited that she hadn't given Renfro a reason to put her through training.  
  
"You may go. I want to see you in my office tomorrow at 7am sharp for the next evaluation." She shifted her attention to Reden who was still lying on the mat stunned that he had lost to Max. "And as for you, find your way to the infirmary, the doctor will patch you up."  
  
Walking out you would have thought that Max had just won the Super Bowl. She had a gigantic smile on her face that she couldn't contain. Alec found her in the hallway smiling like a fool. "You look happy," he stated.  
  
"I am happy. I just kicked Reden's ass, broke a few ribs it was fun."  
  
"I never thought someone would describe fighting to keep alive was fun."  
  
"What can I say? I have a warped sense of humor."  
  
"I can't believe you have a sense of humor at all."  
  
"Thank you for being so honest with what you think of me."  
  
"What can I say, I'm just as true and as honest as dirt. And I'm even more charming that dirt."  
  
"Whatever you have to tell yourself." Max said softly to herself.  
  
"So what do you want to do with your freedom now?" Alec asked.  
  
"I want to be normal, I want to see Logan and I want to get out of here. All three of those I know that can't happen right now until I figure a way to get out of here but with Renfro breathing down my neck all the time the escaping part just isn't going to be happening anytime soon." Shrugging she looked at Alec expectantly.  
  
"I have to go for training right now, but if you talk sweet to one of the guards you may be able to get him to let you go outside, unrestricted. You'll have to stay in the grounds but at least you might be able to get some fresh air." He moved in close and whispered in her ear. "And you might be able to find a way out of here for both of us." He smiled at her and she watched him as he walked away. Shaking her head she proceeded to one of the main entrances.  
  
Batting her eyelashes at the guard flirtatiously and smiled shyly. He turned beat red and she smiled inwardly. They were all the samel men; they couldn't refuse a pretty face smiling at them. "Hi, handsome." She said in a soft low voice.  
  
"Hi." Looking around to make sure that no one was witnessing the exchange.  
  
"What's your name?" Max asked him.  
  
"Henry."  
  
"Henry." Max said dreamily. "You look like a Henry, the name fits you well." She put her hand on his arm, the only way to get what you want was to have physical contact with the man that you want to woo or so was Max's opinion. "I have a favor to ask you Henry, do you think that you could let me go outside? I've been cooped up here for ever and I need some fresh air." Stretching upward she watched as his eyes slid down to her flat stomach.  
  
"I guess that I could swing that, for a beautiful creature as you, but what will you gibe me in return?" He asked seriously.  
  
Thinking for a minute Max replied, " How about a kiss?" Thinking for a second Henry nodded. Standing on her tippy toes she gave him a quick peck on the mouth trying hard to contain her revulsion, she had only ever wanted to kiss one person in her whole life and that was Logan. Henry smiled stupidly and used his key card to open the door. He held it open for her and a cool rush of air greeted Max as she stepped outside.  
  
She was alone except for the guards who wandered aimlessly around looking for any signs of trouble. She smiled to them and they looked at her warily, holding up the pass that Henry had given her that gave her permission to be outside without supervision. Thinking to herself she was surprised when she found no one else walking around outside. Looking up to the sky all she could think about was Logan what he was doing at that very moment, if he was continuing his crusade to save the world. She sat down in the alleyway that was between the main building of the compound and the guards living quarters and just thought about Logan.  
  
She thought about the day that they had met, when Max jumped through the plate glass window in his apartment. He had called her Rocky the Flying Squirrel. She thought about the last day she had seen him, as she lay dying on the ground outside of Manticore he had held her and the last thing that she had seen were his blue eyes. Then she had slipped away and the last thing that she remembered was the feel of his arms around her. The next thing she knew she had been strapped to a table in the infirmary of Manticore.  
  
The sound of gunfire snapped her back to the present. Looking up she could see that the guards were all congregating in front of the alleyway, but they weren't; looking at her they were looking above her. She looked up and saw that a spidery looking transgenic was spinning a web above her. It was covered with dense black fur, had eight legs all very thin and was sticking to the side of the barrack buildings. The guards were shooting the transgenic with tranq darts. It was moving quickly trying to avoid the ones that were being shot at it. Max covered her ears against the high pitch squealing sound that it was making.  
  
Finally after a few more seconds the thing dropped to the ground and lay unmoving. The guards moved towards it and she saw that they had their guns trained on it. Tying it up they dragged it along the ground and brought it back into the building. One of the guards stayed behind and told her to go back in the building. Sighing she got up and started towards the front door of the facility.  
  
Entering it she saw that Henry was still standing guard. She smiled slightly and walked over to him. "Hey Henry, can you tell me what time it was?"  
  
"Yeah almost 5 o'clock dinner it around 5:15."  
  
"Thanks Henry." Max headed to her room to put on the extra change of clothes she knew were waiting for her in her room. They got two changes of clothes a day, one to do their morning workouts in and when they got dirty usually before dinner they got another pair so that they could have clean clothes to sleep in.  
  
She changed quickly not wanting to be late to dinner because if she was late she wouldn't get any. Heading down to the mess hall she met up with Alec who was heading to dinner also. "Hey how was training?" Max asked.  
  
"Boring, the same old stuff block, jab, punch, woo-hoo." He said sarcastically.  
  
"So what's for dinner?"  
  
"The same thing we have every Thursday chicken, vegetables and a drink."  
  
"I hope the drink is a stiff one."  
  
"You could hope, but alcohol really isn't allowed here, then again we can't get drunk."  
  
"Pity," Max, stated in all seriousness.  
  
Dinner passed without any event and that night Alec came to Max's room they talked about random things. He left and once again she was alone in the darkness with her thoughts. She dreamed of Logan and that they were dancing under the stars on a beautiful winter night. Max was in a long white dress with a long flowing white cape and Logan was in a midnight black suit that was the absolute opposite color from what Max was wearing. She was woken up by a bright light and when she opened her eyes she could see that it was the sunlight coming in the small window in the cell. It had all been a dream.  
  
A/N: Okay, I know that this was a pretty boring chapter except for the fight at the beginning. I understand if you give me bad reviews, I hadn't intended for this to be dragged out for so long, I hope that even if you hated it you could at least leave me a review and tell me what you hated about it, or if by some miracle you liked it you could tell me what you like. Either way please drop me a review I would really like it if you did. I will probably be able to update maybe every other day because I have exam week this week and hopefully I will have enough time after exams to use my brother's laptop before he comes home from work. So once again. Thanks for Reading!!! 


	5. Old Friends

A Final Farewell  
  
Chapter 5  
  
A/N: I know that the last chapter was pretty boring, but I promise that this one will be better. This will be about the psychological evaluation and what happens afterward. I hope that you will take the time to read this and to give me feedback. I thank all of you who have reviewed my stories and I hope that you will continue to do so, because they help me to write faster. Anyway thanks for reading and I appreciate the support that I am getting.  
  
Max was used to getting up early, when she worked at Jam Pony she had, had to get up at five-thirty just to make it to work at 7 o'clock. The sun was shining brightly through the window when she opened her eyes. She found her morning clothes on the floor next to her bed. Normally she didn't sleep but she hadn't even heard the door to her cell open during the night.  
  
Putting them on she called to the guard to unlock her cell, she heard the internal click as the lock let go and the door slid open. The guards must have been warned that she would have to leave. She glanced at the other doors in the hallway and she could see that most of them were already open meaning that the occupants were already awake.  
  
Making her way to Renfro's office she thought that this might be her last day being her. She might be going through reindoctrination tomorrow if she failed this evaluation. She could almost have bet that 10 to 1 Renfro whether Max passed the evaluation or not was going to have her reindoctrinated anyway. Max vowed to herself at that moment that she wasn't going to let that happen to her she was going to find a way to stay who she was.  
  
Knocking on the door she waited a few seconds for it to open. There was a very angry looking Renfro standing there. "Hello 452, won't you come join us."  
  
Max wondered what she meant when she said us; her question was answered when she saw who was standing in the corner near the door. "Lydecker, how unpleasant to see you." She was surprised to see that he was standing there so calmly; she had thought that he had decided to be one of the good guys but she could have been wrong. Maybe that had been the entire time to get her captured so that he could get back into Renfro's good graces. Max shot him a venomous look and turned her attention back to Renfro.  
  
"The evaluation will be given to you by Mr. Lydecker. He will administer questions and you will answer them truthfully, but then again you won't have a choice because you will be given sodium penethol as I told you which will prevent you from lying. You will be evaluated on your answers the answers will be given to a review board and they will decided if they see you fit to keep here unaltered." She stopped and directed the conversation now to Lydecker who was waiting patiently in the corner. "Mr. Lydecker would you please escort 452 to the interrogation room."  
  
"Follow me please." Lydecker said flatly. He opened the door that he was standing by; not the one that led to the hallway but the one that she had thought had been a closet at first. They entered a small room that only contained two chairs, a table and a very large metal cabinet. Lydecker took out a small key and unlocked the cabinet. He took out a needle and a little bottle of something, which Max suspected was the sodium penethol. He inserted the needle into the bottle, extracted the liquid, inserted the needle into Max's arm and injected the liquid into her. The penethol took effect immediately, as a test Lydecker asked her a sample question.  
  
"What do you think about me?" He asked simply.  
  
That was one question that Max didn't have to lie to. "I think you are a cold, heartless bastard, who doesn't know where his head ends and Renfro's ass begins." She said with a smile on her face.  
  
"Nice to know that you haven't changed Max, you're still the same person you were before you were captured." The sound of her name surprised her; then again he was the only one here who had known what her and her brothers and sisters called themselves when they had been together at Manticore.  
  
"You're right I haven't and I am glad to say that neither have you, you are still the same backstabbing son of a bitch that you always were Donald." She spat his first name out like a curse.  
  
"Okay let's start with the questions." he said.  
  
"Whatever floats your boat Don."  
  
"Is your designation X5-452?"  
  
"Yes." Max said staring at table.  
  
"Did you escape in 2009 from the Manticore facility?"  
  
"Wow you are a brainiac."  
  
"Just answer the question please."  
  
"Yes along with 12 of my brothers and sisters."  
  
"Have you had any contact with the man who calls himself Eyes Only?"  
  
"Yeah, I work for him what's it to you."  
  
"Do you know the identity of Eyes Only?"  
  
"I work with him what do you think?" Lydecker gave her a withering look. "Yes I know the identity of Eyes Only."  
  
"Can you tell me the identity of Eyes Only?"  
  
"Yes, but then I'd have to kill you."  
  
"Who is Eyes Only?"  
  
"He's a guy that comes across the T.V. gives bad people a wake up call."  
  
"Give me the identity of Eyes Only." It wasn't a question, it was a demand. But the thing that struck Max as odd was that he knew who Eyes Only was and yet he was asking her all the wrong questions, he could ask her flat out what is Eyes Only's real name. But yet he continued to dance around the question, and the answer.  
  
"Is that a question? Because I will only answer to questions that are asked to me nicely. And right now I don't think that you are being very nice, Mr. Lydecker." He dropped his hand down on the table with some much force that the table jumped under it. Her head snapped up to look at him. He was glaring at her and under his intense scrutiny she blushed.  
  
"Max I am trying to help you if you can believe that, I am trying to help you get out of here." He said in a soft voice so that Renfro who was probably listening in on their conversation couldn't hear what they were saying.  
  
"Yeah right and I'm the queen of England." Max said sarcastically.  
  
"Actually you do have some of the DNA of Queen Elizabeth II, the former queen of England."  
  
"Wonderful, can we please just continue with the conversation so that this can be over as soon as possible."  
  
"Max you know that I love you as a daughter, I loved all of you as I would love my own children and I don't want to see any of you hurt. I will try my best to get you out of here, but you have to trust me."  
  
"I trust you as much as I would trust a cobra in my bed."  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment."  
  
"You really shouldn't." Max said calmly.  
  
"All right on with the questions."  
  
"Watch me jump for joy."  
  
"Where does Eyes Only base his operations?" Max struggled to regain her composure as the words started to come out of her mouth unbidden. She clamped her mouth shut as long as she could, but the few seconds that she did were painful, her jaw started to twitch and then she had to tell.  
  
"He lives in Seattle," she said generally. "Where in Seattle?" Was his next question.  
  
"In an apartment." She was going to make this as long and painful as she could.  
  
He was starting to get frustrated she could see it in the way that he was breathing; he was trying as hard as he could not to blow up on her. He was losing the battle immensely, she had known what buttons to push when she was nine and naïve and she could push them even more now.  
  
"IN WHAT APARTMENT BUILDING?" He said loud enough for the whole compound to hear, and especially Renfro who was in the next room. Almost as if on cue Renfro walked in the door and looked extremely puzzled.  
  
"What seems to be the trouble here Mr. Lydecker?" She said in a hard voice.  
  
"She won't talk, she just seems to give smart ass answers."  
  
"Are you sure that you gave her the sodium penethol?" Grabbing the discarded bottle that lay haphazardly on the corner of the table she read the label, seeming satisfied that it was what Lydecker had said it was she set the bottle back down. Cuffing Max to the table she grabbed Lydecker by the arm and dragged him out of the room. Max could hear them yelling at each other through the door, she strained to hear, but the door garbled the sound too much for her to hear exactly what they were saying.  
  
The sound of yelling quieted and a few minutes later the door opened. Two very big guards stood there; unlocking the handcuffs that locked her to the leg of the table they hauled her to her feet. Dragging her through the door they brought her to what she and the rest of her brother and sisters had affectionately called the torture room. It had pleasantries such as shock therapy.  
  
They strapped her to the table that stood in the middle of the room and left her there for her to wait. She tried to make herself forget as Zack had once done with the information about where their brother and sisters had been hiding but it was harder then she had ever realized. The more that she thought about it the harder it was for her to forget. She never got the chance to forget because her concentration was broken when the doctor that later she would remember as Scar walked in.  
  
This was going to be one hell of a long day. Max thought to herself.  
  
A/N: Okay another chapter down, this has to be some kind of miracle usually halfway into a story I get writers block and then I have to stop but that's only when I am doing a story on a subject that I particularly don't like but this I do so yay me. Thanks for reading. 


	6. Torture

A Final Farewell

Chapter 6

A/N: I know that I said this story would only be, actually to tell you the truth I don't remember what I said but I know that it was less then 10 chapters but that was before I even started to write it. So those of you who like my story are getting an extra bonus because it will be longer than I had originally planned. So as usual THANKS FOR READING!!! 

As the last wave of shock left Max's body and she stopped convulsing she was asked the question that she had been asked repeatedly over the last what she thought had been hours.

"Who is Eyes Only?" Renfro who had walked in about an hour into the torture asked her.

Max who had, had enough still didn't answer. She kept silent clenching her mouth shut against the pain. Her heart was beating fast and she could feel the blood rushing quickly through her body. Her fingers and toes had become numb long ago and she could feel the pins and needles effect running through the bottoms of her legs as they too started to become numb.

Waiting for the next shock was like waiting for the next tooth to be pulled. When it came and the shocks ripped through her body she screamed and she could feel the tears that were streaming down her face. "Okay please stop, please I'll tell you, just please stop. He lives in New York City in a place called Trump Tower and to tell you the truth he's Donald Trump." Max retorted. Suddenly very pleased with the idea of being able to come up with a witty retort while being tortured.

"I give you another shock and you are going to be fried from the inside out. Tell us now and all of this can be a distant memory." Renfro said. Putting her hand on the dial that was used to increase the force of the shock she suddenly stopped and looked intently at Max. "Well?" Renfro asked. "Am I going to have to turn this on or am I going to get the answers that I am looking for."

Max who was tired and just wanted to sleep nodded her head unconsciously and before she knew what she was doing she said. "His name is Logan Cale, he lives in the Fogle Towers in the penthouse." She immediately felt guilty for giving up Logan, but she was desperate for the pain to stop and for all of that to be over. Renfro nodded to Scar and he released her from the chair and had one of the many guards in the room carry her to her cell, Max heard Scar dimly as the guard carried her to her cell.

"I want her left alone, I have never seen anyone be put through so much and not say anything. She needs at least 2 days of rest before I want her put back in for training."

"She will not be going back to training…" Was the last thing that she heard before she was too far away to hear.

Her eyes slowly closed and when she woke up she was back in her cell. Groaning from the pain she turned over on her back and warily stretched, her muscles were stiff and she felt very warm. She tried breathing deeply but her lungs burned fiercely. Her insides felt like they were on fire. Starting to get up the door to her cell opened a furious looking Alec rushed in, doing so, so fast that her head felt like it was spinning.

"Max I just heard what happened, I'm so sorry, you know that I would have prevented it if I could."

Max who was still suffering from the after affects of almost being fried to death didn't reply. 

"What is it what's wrong? Did they hurt you?" He asked frantically.

"If you call almost being fried from the inside out like a pastry hurt then yes." Max said oblivious to who was talking to her.

"WOW for you to talk like that they must have done something serious. What did they do to you?" He said examining her arms where they had been bruised by the restraints.

"I think I'm going to raise penguins in Guam." Max said playing with Alec's hair. Tilting her head to one side she asked, "Is Guam still a country?"

Alec who had never seen Max act like this before didn't know what to do. When he had found out that she had been tortured for information about Eyes Only he had rushed right to her cell after training to make sure that she was all right. Besides being a little loopy and a little bruised she seemed all right.

Max who had attempted to stand while he was thinking plopped back down on the bed roughly enough that he felt the force of it on the floor, where he was kneeling. Giggling slightly she sat twisting her hair around her index finger.

"Talk to me Max come on." he said softly.

Snapping out of her five-year-old mind set, she suddenly turned into her old self. Her eyes widened and she seemed a little frightened to be there. "Alec, what are you doing here, how did I get here? Please don't let them take me back there, please." Grasping his forearms.

"I won't don't worry, I talked to Renfro she seemed quite please with herself, that she had gotten the information that she needed. What information did you give her?"

"Oh, god Logan, I told her where Logan lived." Standing up quickly and heading towards the door when Alec stopped her. "I have to do something, I can't let her hurt him."

"Max you have to sit down." As he lead her back to the bed. "You are weak right now, you can't do anything you'll kill yourself. And as it is I'm not even supposed to be seeing you I had to bribe one of the guards into letting me in here."

"If they hurt him then it's my fault, I'm the one who told her where he lives, if anything happens to him I don't know what I will do." Flopping back against the wall Alec sat down next to her.

Alec scooted next to her and encircled her with his arms his chin resting on the crown of her head. "It's not your fault, people say and do strange things when they are being tortured, you can't be held accountable for that."

Closing her eyes Max tried to relax but her body was too tense. "Alec you should probably go before anyone finds out that you're here, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me, I've already that enough today."

Letting her go he replied, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"All right." Standing up he knocked on the cell door, when the door opened he looked at her one more time and walked out. Max who was still leaning closed her eyes again and sat listening to the sound of her own breathing. She kept trying to tell herself that everything was going to be all right, but no amount could convince her heart of what her head already knew. If anything happened to Logan, it would be all her fault and no matter what she did if he was hurt in anyway, she had to take full responsibility for it.

Laying back on the flat pillow that had been supplied to her she had just about fallen asleep when her cell door opened again. "Can't anyone get a decent nights sleep around here?" She said hostilely. She was jerked from bed and once again for almost the third time that day was brought to Renfro's office.

Renfro stood behind her desk staring through the picture window that graced the entire wall. "The review board has made a decision on your evaluation, based on your reluctance to answer the questions that were asked to you by Mr. Lydecker and the fact that we had to torture the information from you they have decided that the best thing would for you to be reindoctrinated." Renfro said in her steely voice. Max who had known that, that would be the decision that the board would make wasn't at all surprised. "You don't seem a bit surprised." She said to Max.

"I'm not, I know that reindoctrination was your plan for me from the beginning, whether I passed the evaluation or not that would be my fate."

"Very intuitive." Renfro said slightly impressed.

"I'm not intuitive I just know you too well." Max said simply.

"Reindoctrination begins right now, you probably know how it goes."

"How could I forget? You did it to Brin now you're going to do it to me, nothing fazes you does it? You're incapable of feeling anything." 

"I may be but you are not, before we begin I want you to see something."

Minutes later Max and Renfro stood in front of a window that was covered by sheet metal. "What is this?" Max asked angrily.

"I thought you might want to say goodbye."

"Wha…" Max was cut off when the metal partition opened to reveal tubes and a person who looked like a robot sitting in the middle of a white room. "Who…who is that?"

"Your brother." 

Max's eyes widened, "Zack," Max could feel the tears well up in her eyes at the sight of her brother.

"His organs were given to other X-5s who needed them, his heart as you know went to you, they were replaced with artificial ones. We injected nano-bots into his blood stream to repair the damage that was done by the bullet that he put in his skull to save you." She stopped and stared at him through the glass.

Putting her hand on the glass Max could see Zack shift his eyes to her, a lone tear trickled down his cheek, his eyes were filled with torment. Suddenly Max felt Renfro's eyes on her. Turning to look Max had the sudden urge to punch Renfro so hard that it broke her nose and wiped that smug look off her face. She stepped forward but stopped herself that would have been like committing suicide. It was one thing to be alive but not know who you are then to be dead and just be plain dead. Max had had enough near death experiences then had to be good for a person.

Max had only one question for Renfro, "Where's he going?"

"Tokyo, a facility there is willing to pay top dollar to study him, they would like to see the work that we've done."

"They're turning him into a lab rat is what you're trying to say something new and different for us. Don't you think that he's been through enough?"

"Most of that wasn't our fault he made the decision to kill himself for you, whatever is happening to him now isn't our fault. He is of no use to us as damaged goods, mine as well make what money off him we can."

"That's what we are to you…property." Max said incredulously.

"We made you, cooked you up in test tubes, put you in surrogate mothers and trained you to be what you are. That means we own you."

"You'll never change," Max, muttered to herself.

"What should we start with?" Renfro muttered half to herself. "What do you think 452, what should we start with for you reindoctrination brainwashing or should we skip right to the sensory deprivation."

"Whatever you want ma'am." Max said putting added force on ma'am. "You'll do it anyways." She added softly.

Unknowingly, Max followed Renfro into the hospital wing; Max who had thought that the building was big when she was a kid realized that it was even bigger now then she had ever thought. She felt a stinging in her neck and immediately knew what she had been hit with a tranq dart when the world went black.

A/N: Now we are getting into the exciting part of the story, I know this story has seemed kind of slow but I promise that it will get quicker now. There will be a few twists and turns along the way and I will be explaining a lot of what is going through Max's head in the next few chapters as her life is changing. So as usual make me happy with reviews. As usual thanks for reading!!!

A/N 2: Does anyone know how to get italics on Fanfiction my friend told me but I don't remember what she said so if anyone knows how can you please tell me how I would appreciate it, I'm going to need to use them in a later chapter.


	7. Changing Identity

A Final Farewell

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a computer and a soda can.

A/N: I want to thank all of you who reviewed. This chapter took me a pretty long time to write because I had been pouring out five pages a chapter which I hadn't intended to do but low and behold here it is and in a timely fashion. So thanks again for reading, reviewing and taking the time to do so.

It had been almost two weeks since that day, time moved slowly when you weren't having fun. Max sat strapped to a chair facing a screen. On the screen was a home movie of a little girl playing with dolls. "This is you when you were 9 two years before your parents died." The man named Scar told her.

"That's funny because as I recall I never knew my parents and didn't grow up playing with dolls. I grew up playing with guns, one of which I wish I could shoot you with." This earned her a slap across the face.

"Your name is Carmen Santos, you were born in London, England in 1999. Your parents were Mark and Rachel Santos. They were killed in a car accident along with your brother Luca in 2010. You were shipped to America where you lived with your mother's sister your aunt Sara. You lived with her until you turned 18 when you were recruited by a secret government agency us and were employed as a contract killer." This had been drilled into her head every day for those two weeks.

When it was clear to Renfro that they weren't getting through to her they decided to take more drastic measures. They injected her with concoction that would bring about amnesia and from there they could tell her anything that they wanted and she would believe it. They told her that she had been shot during one of her missions and had hit her head making her forget everything that had happened to her up until that moment. 

It wasn't very hard for them to convince her that she was a contract killer because of her strength and her knowledge of guns that the amnesia hadn't allowed her to forget. So it didn't necessarily take long for her to get in the mindset of a contract killer. They were fully convinced that she had turned into Carmen when she killed a guard who was trying to hit on her.

Because of that she was given living quarters, real living quarters in the east wing where all the important business people stayed along with Lydecker and Renfro. She was given practice with guns, and physical training to make sure that she was in top physical shape and even though they weren't entirely sure that she was fully Carmen yet they didn't want to make her suspicious if they watched her too closely.

Manticore hired her out to a man named Rudolf Alame he wanted her to kill his ex-partner James Triano she would shoot him and kill him before he had the chance to sell secrets to his enemies in the Russian government.

Two days later Carmen found herself sitting on the roof of the Computech Industries building. Waiting was not one of Carmen's strong points she tended to get bored very easily. She had been told to wear a suit, which according to Carmen's everyday dress was out of the question. But in the end her boss had pretty much forced her to wear it so that she didn't stick out.

Checking through the scoop of her silenced sniper rifle she saw that her target had just entered the room and was now sitting at his desk. She didn't have a clear shot the chair was blocking her way but the rifle was high powered and would cut through almost anything. Another added bonus on her part was that the window in front of which he was sitting was open, the glass wouldn't shatter so no one would come running which for Carmen meant an easy get away without cops. No one would find him for a while and by that time she would be long gone.

Taking aim at the back of the chair she pulled the trigger satisfied when she saw through the scope that the bullet had hit the back of the chair. She had been told to shot twice just to make sure that he was really dead. Aiming for the same spot on the back of the chair she pulled the trigger again and waited a minute, wanting to make sure that he wasn't going to get up. Putting the rifle away in its case she headed towards the stairs that she had gone up.

Taking them two at a time to make sure she got out before they locked down the building, which she was sure, they were going to do when they saw that Triano was dead. Getting down to the ground floor Carmen tugged uncomfortably at the suit to make it sit right. The jacket had twisted around on her body when she had been lying on the ground trying to get a good shot on the roof.

Walking through the lobby she looked at the people passing her by they were all either talking on their cell phones or talking amongst themselves. Right now she didn't care about fitting in like she probably should have all she cared about was getting out of the building. Keeping her head down she tried to avoid being seen by the cameras that were placed strategically around the building.

She tried to ignore the strange stares that she was getting from the security guards who had only seen her twenty minutes before entering the building. It was hard when she saw that all of them were staring at her inquisitively, not that she cared she just didn't want them to be able to pin the murder on her or identify her if they were questioned.

Walking as quickly as she could without looking like she was rushing she exited the building and headed to her car which she had parked in the lot in front of the building. Throwing the gun case in the trunk she sank down in the front seat. Breathing a sigh of relief she started the car and cranked up the heat against the cold that had descended on Seattle that morning. 

Taking out her cell phone from her jacket pocket she called her boss Renfro she heard the click on the other end and said simply, "The job is done, I'll see you at home." Hanging up she pulled the car slowly out of the parking lot. She had a three-hour drive ahead of her, which to anyone would seem like a long time. But to Carmen it was a release from her hectic life and time to just be alone.

~*~

A/N: This is about Logan, I know I said that I probably wouldn't be doing anymore on him but this seemed like a good time to do a part about him.

Logan sat tapping away at his computer not like it was anything unusual when the phone rang. He didn't pick it up he never did anymore, not that it really mattered the only people who called were telemarketers and the few people in his family that still talked to him just to do the family thing and make sure that he was okay. 

"You have reached the number that you have called, you know what to do, leave a message after the beep." He heard his own voice say on the machine.

"Logan, it's Matt Sung, if you are there can you please pick up I have a favor to ask you." 

Hesitating at first to pick up the phone, he reluctantly put it to his ear, "Matt, I'm here, what do you need?"

"As you have probably heard James Triano was murdered today in his office so far the Seattle PD have no leads and as of yet no idea why he was murdered to begin with. I know you have contacts that most likely have access to the check in rosters from yesterday and the main ones that the security guards check against. We unfortunately don't have access to those the company wants to keep those under wraps so they don't fall into the wrong hands which I can fully understand but it sort of puts a damper on the investigation into his death." There was a slight pause on Matt's end of the phone before he continued. "Do you think you can help me?" he asked.

"I'll see what I can do, I can't promise anything but I'll get back to you if I find something, anything unusual."

"Thanks Logan, do what you can I appreciate it."

"All right Matt, I'll talk to you later."

"All right bye." Matt was the first to hang up and Logan hung up a few seconds after he did.

Turning back to his computer he switched to the e-mail screen. He sent a message to one of his contacts that actually worked at Computech in the computer development department. It was partially due to Rigel the contact that Eyes Only was up and running, he was able to get the latest technology from Computech and gave it to Logan.

If he was lucky Rigel would be able to hack into the database unnoticed and get the information that Logan required. He waited a few minutes when a new e-mail popped up on the screen.

~Logan,

Here is the information you asked for, I hope it helps. I have also included the feeds from the surveillance cameras that have been placed around the buildings. 

Rigel

Clicking on the link below the email he was greeted with two long lists of names. One was yesterday's roster and the second was the master roster. He checked off names that appeared on the one from the day before but not on the master list. In all there were only 7 names.

He ruled out the people that were there for more than 2 hours a killer would want to get out of the building as soon as the job was done. That narrowed down the names to 3 Cristina Bales, Louis Halt and John Ashlocke. Checking what time each of the people entered he looked at the surveillance videos the men came in first both around seven-thirty and the women Cristina came in at around 10. It struck him as odd that the women kept her head down like she knew where the cameras were positioned.

He followed her with the feeds from the surveillance tapes hoping that just once she would slip up and look at the cameras. She took the stairwell to the roof and he knew that he had the killer. There were no cameras on the roof but he waited for her to come back down the stairwell when she couldn't avoid the cameras.

Fast-forwarding through the feed he saw that 20 minutes had elapsed before the door to the roof opened. The focus was unclear but what he saw surprised him. The brown hair, the body type, the lips, and the chocolate brown eyes a single word escaped his lips, "Max?"

A/N: Okay we have a big revelation here I hope you liked it. Reviews are appreciated, constructive criticism, criticism in general, flames, pretty much any kind of reviews are welcome.


	8. First Meeting

A Final Farewell

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters they all belong to James Cameron and Fox.

A/N: I want to thank all of you who have reviewed my stories. Sorry for the long wait, there was a major catastrophe with my computer that involved smoke and a very fried motherboard. I couldn't retrieve any of the previous chapter that I had written from it, but I think this actually turned out better then the old one. There are only a few more chapters in this story, not sure how many but most likely 3 or 4. This story has turned out to be longer then I had originally planned because I kept getting ideas of where I could take the story and then I take it that way and I actually liked the way it turned out so please take the time to tell me what you think of the story as a whole so far. I have a pretty good idea of where I am taking the story right now and how I am going to end it, but if any of you have any ideas of anything I can do to make the story more enjoyable or easier to read (more details, fewer details, shorter chapters, longer chapter ect…) those are always welcome. So as usual enjoy and on with the story.

A/N 2: I want to know if any of you are happy having parts where Logan is in the story or do you think that I should just stick to Max (Carmen) side of the story. Please give me feedback on what you think.

Carmen entered the facility through the front door and passed through the security checkpoint, smiling at the guards on her way through. She made her way down the long hallway to her boss's office. Knocking first to announce her presences she entered the room slowly.

"Oh, Carmen please come in." Renfro said to her. "I want to congratulate you on a job well done." She turned a briefcase towards Carmen filled to the brim with money. "This is your cut from the job, we got confirmed report not to mention that it is all over the news that Triano is dead." 

"Thank you ma'am, it means a lot that you think so highly of my work. I hope that I can be of future service to the agency and anyone else who might require my help. Now if that is all that you needed then I will take my leave. I will be in my room if anyone needs me."

"Before you go Carmen, there is a job that will need to be taken care of and soon." Picking up a file from her desk she flipped through it and showed Carmen a picture of a pair of eyes surrounded by the words "Streaming Freedom Video".

"Who's this?" Carmen wanted to know, taking the picture from Renfro's hand.

"This is the man that could blow everything that we have achieved. He knows information about the facility that he shouldn't." Pulling another picture from the folder it showed the man's full face and body. Carmen thought to herself 'Damn he's sexy'. 

Snapping out of her thoughts she asked, "How? I didn't think that anyone would be able to hack into the system."

"They didn't, actually it's your fault," she said slowly. When Carmen looked at her disbelievingly she continued, "You used to know this man before you worked for us full time. He's a freelance reporter who does the Eyes Only hacks, you revealed to him information about us, but you would not remember that." she stopped and looked inquiringly at Carmen who's eyes were very wide.

"But why would I do that?" she said a little defensively.

"You were very close to him, we believe intimately close and that is why you gave up your secrets. He asked you questions and you answered not wanting to lie to him."

"But-"

"It's all right, we're not mad at you, but we believe that he is going to use the information that he learned to reveal this facility and what we do here. We need you to eliminate him; this order has come direct from the higher ups. If the location of this facility is revealed it will have deadly consequences."

"I understand." Carmen knew that she couldn't be so cold as to kill someone that she had once knew but if she couldn't remember him what was the difference? "When shall I carry this out?" she said through clenched teeth.

"You need to leave tonight. I know you just got back but I can assure you that you will be paid handsomely for your troubles."

"Let me guess, it's back to Seattle for me, right." Carmen prodded.

"Yes I'm afraid so."

"Why didn't you tell me on the phone when I called you from Seattle?" she said trying to not let the disdain she felt for the women.

"We didn't know the order just came in from my superiors an hour ago. I tried to call you to tell you to stay but you phone was off."

"Actually I was ignoring it but I guess that was a pretty stupid idea. Because then I would still be there and I wouldn't have to put unwanted miles on my car."

"I'm sorry if it inconveniences you but you must leave within the hour if you are going to make it back to Seattle in time to get the job done tonight."

"They want it done tonight, I'm not even sure if that is possible to accomplish in one night." she said forcefully.

"I know but they need it done they have information saying that he is going to attempt a transmission tonight. They aren't sure if it's going to be the one that they fear but they can't take that chance. They need it done tonight."

"So when you said they needed it done soon you meant tonight?"  
  
"Yes, pretty much."

"All right I better get going, the guns in the trunk I just have to change my clothes into something a little less business like."

"Good, I expect a report from you when the job is done." Pausing she handed Carmen a file folder. "Everything that you need to know is in there, where he lives, what his favorite food is, everything."

"Okay, so I'll get going then." Rolling her eyes Carmen snatched the file from Renfro's hand and proceeded out the door. It was just like Renfro to do this to her, no sleep in two days not that she necessarily needed it but no time to relax in that long. She passed people she knew and some that she didn't but smiled at all of them. One in particular stopped to talk to her, he looked angry.

"Max where have you been?"

Looking around Carmen said, "You mean me?"

"Who else do you think I'm talking to?"

"It sure as hell isn't me. My name is Carmen not Max." Carmen said walking away.

He came up behind her and grabbed her forearm. "Max what the hell are you playing at? This isn't funny, where have you been."

"Why should I answer to you? I don't even know you."

"Max yes you do, it's me Alec what the hell happened to you, where have you been for the past week?" He put his hand on her shoulder forcing her to look at him.

"What the hell do you want? Just leave me alone." She said moving out of his grasp, turned and walked away.

He ran up behind her and blocked her path. Carmen who had, had enough of this moved to the side to get past him but her followed her. "I hope you know that you are tap dancing on razor blades right about now." Pushing him to the side she continued to walk away, glancing back once to see him staring at her with his mouth hanging open.

Wondering why he had called her Max preyed on her mind until she got to her room. She used the key that she kept in her jacket pocket in her wallet she unlocked her door. Flipping on the light switch that was on the right wall the hallway was filled with light. Going into the bathroom she looked at herself in the mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair had gone flat despite the pounds of hairspray that she used to keep it from flying away. Picking up the brush that was perched on the edge of the sink she ran it through her tangled hair. She didn't bother with hairspray; her hair was just going to get screwed up again from the wind in Seattle. 

Going to her room she grabbed black clothes out of the dresser and threw them on. Turning off all the lights in the bare apartment she proceeded again to her car for the second time that day. The metallic blue convertible was Carmen's pride and joy. She had bought it off the Internet and had not bothered to consult Renfro first. Renfro said that such a color was liable for her to be noticed. Carmen had come back with Renfro's own words; the best place to hide was in plain sight. Not that Carmen actually believed that but it sounded good at the time.

Starting the car Carmen loved the hum of the engine, putting down the top even though it was cold, she turned up the heat as far as it would go. It didn't make sense not even to herself but she loved the wind in her hair, but didn't feel like freezing to death. It didn't matter anyway Manticore paid for the gas anyway; she could waste as much as she felt like wasting.

Cruising down the interstate in the fading light the sun reflected off the car giving it an orange glow. She got weird stares from the people that she passed by, it wasn't everyday that you saw someone as young as her self, driving a new sports car. Rich people usually drove such cars, and considering the sum of money that Carmen had acquired during the last job, she in no way considered herself rich.

~*~

Two hours later Carmen parked her car in front of the Fogle Towers, she wasn't exactly sure how she was going to approach the job, she had scoped out all possible angles that she could shot from but none of them seemed to have a clear path to the penthouse apartment he lived in. She would have to get into his apartment and shot him at close rang and hope that no one would come running.

She took the elevator to his floor hoping that he wasn't checking the surveillance system in the building for signs of intruders. Taking the lock pick out of her coat pocket she inserted it into the lock and jiggled it around noiselessly. The lock gave way and she turned the knob. Pulling the gun out of the waist of her pants she opened the door cautiously making sure that he hadn't heard the door open. 

Creeping slowly down the hall she looked both ways before she crossed to the living room, she heard a voice coming from a closed off section of the apartment. Walking slowly around the apartment she was almost to the one side when a board squeaked under her weight. Groaning inwardly she looked for some place to hide. She ran over to the farthest side of the couch and crouched down. She heard heavy footsteps coming closer until they were almost on top of her. She rolled out from behind the couch only to be tackled from behind by her target.

"Who are you, what do you want with me?" The gun had dropped out of Carmen's hands when he had tackled her she was trying desperately to get out from underneath him and get the gun that was just out of reach. Instead he reached forward and grabbed the gun. Getting up off of her he said, "Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head." Much to his surprise she obeyed. "I ask again, who are you?"

Flipping her hair off her face, Carmen glared up at him venomously. "I'm the woman who will be killing you." Making a quick movement she grabbed the extra gun that she had stashed in her boot for occasions such as these. Cocking it she got to her feet and pointed it at him. 

"I figured someone would come and try to kill me because of the transmission, I just never figured that it would be you Max." He said harshly, putting emphasis on the word Max.

"You know that is the second time I've been called Max today and it is really starting to piss me off. My name is Carmen, Car-men, say it with me now Carmen, not Max whoever the hell she is." 

"That was your name, before Manticore worked its major and turned you into some kind of heartless bitch."

"I'm not heartless, I'm just simply a bitch." Logan had the other gun aimed at her. Carmen in a motion to quick for Logan to see she went into a roundhouse kick and kicked the gun out of his hand. He went to move for it but Carmen counteracted by aiming the small gun at his private area. "If you ever have hopes of having children I would suggest you leave the gun right where it is."

"You're not going to shoot me." Logan stated. He stepped forward and watched as Carmen took one back.

"Yes I would." Carmen said regaining her composure. Without a second thought she pulled the trigger on the gun. The sound ricocheted through the apartment.

A/N: Woo-hoo a little M/L interaction, there will be a whole lot more in the next chapter I can only hope, if the plot bunnies don't take over which they have been known to do from time to time.


	9. Memories

A Final Farewell

Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I had to put off writing for a while I've been pretty swamped with home work and the like, but hopefully the long wait hasn't deterred you from reading this. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews I hope that they keep coming. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and review. 

Logan flew backward as the bullet hit him full force. It had hit the exoskeleton that helped him walk, she couldn't even see it, and she had known it was there. "What the hell?" Logan said exasperatedly. He looked up from the hole in his jeans to see her staring at him sardonically.

"Told you I would shoot you, now where would you like it, in the head for quick and not painful, no that would be to good for you, I'd say in the stomach, so I can watch you bleed to death. But first I need to find something out where do you keep the information for your transmissions my superiors would like to make sure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

He answered, "They are in the bottom desk drawer, in the office over there," he said indicating with his hand.

"Thank you," getting up she headed towards the office and came back a few minutes later with a manila folder. Flipping it open her eyes went wide with shock, inside there were pictures of her and Logan holding hands and on top was a letter. "What is this?" She said dangerously.

"That would be all the good times that you and me shared together, on the top is a letter that you wrote to me before you were ki… disappeared three months ago. You proclaimed your love for me in it. You went to destroy Manticore along with your brothers Zack and Krit and your sister Syl, so that they could never hurt anymore children like they hurt you-" he stopped when he saw the look on Carmen's face a cross between shock and disbelief.

"You don't remember that do you, you laid in my arms and died or not apparently-"

"Stop it," Carmen said quietly her mind was plagued with images, "Stop it," she had had enough, she raised the gun and her hand wavered on the trigger.

Logan used the counter for support and struggled to stand with the one good side of the exoskeleton. Snapping her head up Carmen looked at him suspiciously, "What are you doing? Stay down on the floor." Motioning with the gun for him to stay down. Logan dragged himself slowly down the counter and made it three feet from where Carmen was standing.

"You have to remember something anything." Her reached out a hand to touch her face she stared at it as though it were a snake coming in for the strike. She reacted by taking a step backward, he moved forward again and this time when he reached out his arm she didn't move away. He closed the distance between them and smoothed her wind blown hair down behind her ears. She stared intently at him, the gun still poised in her hand but pointing downward. He was doing exactly what he had wanted to, to get her guard down, to prove to her that she wasn't who she was led to believe she was.

All he wanted was for her to remember some shred of what they had shared, to remember what love felt like, the kind of love that he felt for her. He touched his lips gently to hers, she stood stunned by his action and pulled away. Her sudden movement caused Logan to lose his balance, without thinking Carmen reached forward to keep him from falling, to do that she had to drop the gun. It dropped to the floor with a loud clank.

Her eyes were wide and frightened like a deer caught in headlights. Before he could say anything she bolted, lightning quick he heard her shatter one of the plate glass windows that lined the far right wall of the apartment. She had done it before the first night that they had met, he had called her Rocky the Flying Squirrel. She had dove out a window a hundred feet in the air and had gotten out without a scratch. It was enough to make anyone believe that she was something special, and she was and always would be to him.

He sat on the floor of the apartment and breathed a sigh of relief, he had avoided injury thankfully, and he doubted that he would be as lucky the next time that they met. She hadn't been kidding when she had said that she would shoot him, but he had been lucky that she had hit the exoskeleton instead of his actual leg. Not that he would have felt the pain, but he would have been very angry if he had bled all over the floor of the apartment.

He dragged himself to where his wheelchair stood not 4 feet away. Pulling himself up into it he struggled to get the skeleton off. Looking at the damage that she had done he was thankful that she had only hit the knee joint, all that needed to be replaced was the screw that connected the top to the bottom. Rummaging through his office he found a screw that would be able to hold them together until he could find something a little bit more permanent. 

Removing the broken screw he replaced it with the new one, putting the skeleton back on he tested the new screw. The resistance he felt in the knee was more than it had been before the run in with the newly brainwashed Max, but he was at least able to walk with it. Which he needed if he had any hope of finding Max.

Going down the elevator to the parking garage he got into his beat up SUV. It had been through the war and the paint was peeling off of it but it was a good quality car and it was his most trusted asset. Driving through the streets of Seattle he tried to think of where this new and improved Max would go. He looked up into the clear night sky, unusual for Seattle and asked for some help. Looking around he got his answer the Space Needle it was his best bet.

Arriving at the bottom he pulled open the badly rusted door, the sound of the scraping hinges echoed through the empty interior of the needle. He took the stairs slowly contemplating what he was going to say if in fact she was there. He hadn't seen a car or a motorcycle outside but that didn't mean anything, she could have stashed it somewhere.

Reaching the top he didn't see any signs of anyone being there, except for the broken window that for a fact Logan knew Max used to be able to get on the outside of the Needle. Piling boxes on top of each other he was able to reach the window. Climbing out onto the roof, he saw a lone figure standing near the edge. He stood watching her for a few minutes before he heard her voice drift slowly back to him.

"I know you're there," she said mockingly. "You didn't think I couldn't hear you, did you." Logan still stood stunned. He knew that Max was good, but that proved exactly how good. 

"We were friends," for some reason he felt that he had to explain, "The best kind, and I know some part of you hasn't forgotten that." he said walking towards her. She hadn't turned toward him while she was talking she still stood with the city spread out at her feet. He grabbed her arm and made her face him, she didn't struggle when he did. He stood searching her face looking for any trace of the women that he had loved. "Tell me that I haven't lost her."

He caught her eyes and held them. She was the first to look away. He touched her chin and her eyes briefly flicked over hers. She turned away again and stood at the edge looking down. "How did you find me here?" she said glancing back at him her voice cracking.

"It wasn't hard, this was the first place that Max would go when she felt confused, I figured that if there was still a small part of her in you, that this would be the place that you would turn." 

"Good deduction, can you tell me anything about her."

"I can, do you want to hear it."

"That would be why I asked, can you start from the beginning? I want to hear everything."

She sat down in a heap, Logan warily taking a place next to her, he wasn't necessarily worried that she would take out a gun and try to shot him, he was worried that she would try and push him over the edge and make it look like an accident had occurred. He started to speak and he could see that she was becoming more and more interested in him by the minute.

They sat like that, two lone figures looking out on a broken world for more than an hour. He told her ever detail that he could remember, from what she was wearing to what she said to him, down to the very last strand of hair. 

"I want to help bring them down."

"No." Logan said flatly.

Carmen looked at him suddenly, "What do you mean no? I thought you wanted to help."

"I'm going to do this on my own, anyway that I can."

"It is my fight not yours."

"I can't lose you… again. I'm not ready to let you go, I just found you I won't lose you."

"You won't but I have to do this, they took my life from me, the one I can't remember, I won't let them get away with that. I need to help… please," she said desperately.

Logan sat quietly for a minute thinking on her words, he didn't want to lose her, and he still wasn't sure that he hadn't but he was willing to let her try and help him. "All right, but at the first sign of danger I'm pulling you out of there."

"You won't have to." The audible click of a gun was present when Carmen pulled a gun out from behind her back.

"What are you doing?" Logan asked.

"Doing what I have to, to stay alive… I'm sorry." she said sincerely.

Without thinking Logan leaped forward. She was so surprised that she didn't even have a chance to get a shot off. He pinned her against the roof, his hand over her throat cutting off her air supply. As much as it pained him to see her struggle for air, it was what he had to do to keep her from killing him. Her leg shot up behind him and hit him in the head hard enough for him to let go. She sat up and threw him against the roof, it was her turn now to pin him.

His head was hanging over the edge of the needle dangerously so. There was a murderous look in her eyes. "Why couldn't you have just left well enough alone? Why did you have to make this difficult. I was going to leave you alone when I left but you had to come and seek me out and explain to me about your girlfriend."

"She wasn't my girlfriend, we were just friends."

"Right… and that's why when you talked about her you had more passion in your voice then I thought that one person could possess." then all of a sudden she backed off. "Go, leave Seattle, disappear and don't come back." She motioned with the gun for him to leave. He did so reluctantly, glancing back once to see her staring back at him.

Going to his apartment he contemplated leaving, he could stay and risk being shot by another assassin or he could leave. The latter of the two he decided was a better choice. He went to his computer and put all the information that he had stored on it, onto a disk and then deleted everything from the hard drive of the computer.

He then took the gun that he kept in the desk drawer and shot the computer 3 times just for good measure. He wasn't sure if there were any computer specialists employed by Manticore who could retrieve the data that he had erased. They couldn't do anything if the files had been shot through. He felt guilty because the equipment had been expensive and hard to find but it was better to escape with his life and not put any of him informants or anyone else in danger, then worry about money.

Taking files from the cabinets and putting them into a suitcase that he could take with him, he put some clothes from his drawers on top of them and packed the few pictures that littered the apartment in also. Looking around the apartment one last time to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything he turned off the light and walked to the elevator taking it down to the parking garage.

He wanted to move as fast as he could out of the apartment, just in case she decided that letting him go was a big mistake, and ended up coming after him. There was no point in waiting around Seattle anymore, there was nothing left for him there. The only thing keeping him tied down was gone and he had a pretty good idea that she was never coming back.

A/N: Yeah, another chapter down I hope you enjoyed it please tell me what you thought in reviews, I would very much appreciate them. Thanks again for reading and reviewing.


	10. Old Acquaintances

A Final Farwell

Chapter 10

A/N: I'm getting the feeling that I may have confused a few people in Chapter 9's authors note when I said M/L interaction. What I actually meant was that even though Max is still Carmen she is talking to Logan, and I also promise that it is a M/L shipper but you'll have to wait for that. I'm very sorry if I confused any of you or gave you the wrong impression as to where this story was going. So anyways thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

She watched him go, feeling extremely guilty for it. She knew that she could lie and say that she had killed him, but lies had a funny way of coming back to bite you in the ass. That was something that she knew all too well. At least she thought she did.

Thinking about how much she didn't want to go back to Manticore, something that would very surely ruin the rest of her day, she got up and walked down the million steps to the ground floor. Going to her car she started it up and was about to drive away when something in the rearview mirror caught her eye. There was something silver poking out through the separation in the back seat.

Getting out she pulled the front seat forward and climbed in the back. Running her hand through the separation she came out with a small box with a microphone on one end. She recognized it, they had showed her one in basic training. It was a state of the art Global Positioning System they had been spying on her ever since she had left the Manticore facility. That means they probably had other agents tracking her watching her every move, which meant that they probably knew that she had let Mr. Cale go.

That meant that they were both in danger, which by definition was never a good thing. She was an expert at escape and evade, but these agents had been trained like her, they probably calculated her every move even before she knew herself what she was going to do. Looking around slowly hoping to not alert them to her find, she pretended to bend down to fix her shoe while crushing with her hand the GPS system on the ground.

Seeming preoccupied with her shoe, she glanced around once more and not seeing any movement she got in her car and left taking good care to run over the GPS system just to make sure it was really broken. She headed through the back streets of Seattle and made her way to Fogle Towers. Slipping past the security guard she headed toward the elevator taking it to the top floor where the penthouse was located. 

She got to the door and put her ear up to it listening for any sounds from inside, not hearing anything she turned the knob, surprised to find it unlocked. The penthouse was empty and clothes were missing from the drawers in the bedroom. So he had taken her advice, he had skipped town, maybe he was smart after all. Now the only thing she had to do was find him. It's very strange how ironic it was, first she had come to kill him, then he had come after her and now it was her turn again to go after him only this time it was to warn him and not to kill him.

She saw that the computer room had been torn apart, included with a few bullet holes in the wall where he had shot right through the computer. She had to hand it to him, he was taking every precaution that he could think of taking. She went through the desk drawers and was about to close one when something caught her eye. It was a pink slip of paper with the name of a hotel in Sector 9 on it. Judging by it, she guessed that he had, had big plans for the night 2 months ago to rent out the honeymoon suite.

It was a long shot, there was nothing saying that he would be at the same hotel, but it was the only clue that she had to his whereabouts. Grabbing the piece of paper out of the drawer she arrived at the hotel 15 minutes later. Asking the concierge she found out that her suspicions had been right he was staying at the hotel. It was her guess that he planned only to stay the night and then catch the first plane out of the airport. 

Donning a maid's outfit, she stole a cart so that she could blend in and hopefully not be noticed by the people who were passing through the halls. There was nothing out of place if she was dressed as a maid, nothing in the remotest threatening about it. Knocking on his door she swiped the skeleton key that all maids carried through the lock. Grabbing a stack of towels off of the cart to hide her face if needed she proceeded through the hallway into the main part of the room.

He was lying on the bed watching some blurry program on the TV. He didn't give her a second thought, but after dropping the towels in the bathroom and walking back out, he glanced up. Immediately jumping off the bed and grabbing the gun that was lying on the night table. "Please don't shot me, I'm not armed," she said quickly hoping to deter him from placing a bullet in her head.

"Where have I heard that one before?" he said sarcastically then pausing. "Oh yeah, right before you shot me in the leg, I have to admit the maids outfit is a nice touch."

"I'm here to help you, there are armed men outside who are waiting for the perfect opportunity to show you the barrel of a gun. Now if you would like to make it out of here alive you're going to have to trust me."

"Trust you?" He said incredulously. "Do you even know the meaning of the word trust?"

"I'm trying to help you. What do you not understand about that?" Carmen yelled at him.

"The part where I'm supposed to trust you." He still had the gun aimed her way and showed no signs of putting it down. "Now what were you saying about armed men trying to kill you?"

"After you left the Needle I was in my car and found a GPS system with a microphone. They were following me when I went to your apartment and they probably followed you here."

"Okay so for the second time today you have put my life in danger-"

"Get down." Carmen yelled as she saw a hail of bullets being shot at the window, she looked up just in time to see Logan fall to the ground a bright stain of red spreading on his white shirt. Crawling to where he lay, she picked up the gun that lay unceremoniously next to him. She pulled him onto her lap and checked for a pulse, it was there but was very faint. His blue eyes fluttered open and he whispered something too faint for her to hear. Bending closer she heard the words, "Sam Carr, Harbour Lights."

She wasn't exactly sure what it meant but pulling the phonebook out from the nightstand she flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. "Harbour Lights Medical 947 Baker Street." 

Getting on her knees and looking out the window she couldn't see any movement but that didn't mean anything, there were ways that even she didn't know. Pulling the man to his feet she helped carry him to the door and to the elevator, which she took to the underground parking lot.

Putting him in the back seat of her car, she prayed that he would be okay. She wasn't exactly sure why she wanted him to live but she had a feeling that it was because he was her only link to the past, the one that she couldn't remember. Driving as fast as she could without speeding she made it to the hospital and was dismayed to see that the man had lost conscientiousness. Taking him through the front door of the ER, she went up to the check in window.

"I need to see Dr. Carr. This man is a patient of his, he's been shot, and you need to help him. Please."

"Ma'am Dr. Carr is very busy you'll have to wait until he has time, he has other patients to attend to." Sighing Carmen pulled a fifty dollar bill out from her purse and slipped it under the opening in the window. The nurse looked at it and nodded. "I'll see what I can do." She picked up the phone and started talking. Seconds later she put it down and looked at Carmen. "You need to go straight through that door then down the hall, take the first left you come to."

"Oh God, thank you." A man walked through the door that the nurse had told her to take.

"Max?" The man had a look of stunned shock on his face. But then it returned to a look of concern as he glanced at the man in her arms. "What happened?" As he motioned for her to follow him.

"Someone tried to assassinate him." Dr. Carr gave her a strange look and motioned for her to set him down on the gurney in the room.

"I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside, you aren't even supposed to be back here." He said pulling her towards the door. "I'll come out and give you updates when I have a chance, now please wait out in the waiting room."

Giving the man lying on the table one last glance, Carmen walked through the doors and headed down the hall to the waiting room, which was filled with people crying, and praying. One woman was sitting in a chair across the room staring almost catatonically at the wall. The only free seat in the room was next to her. Sitting down, Carmen went into her own little dream world and she was sure that the two of them made a perfect pair, both staring at absolutely nothing. She spent most of her time in the waiting room trying to drown out the ever-continuous noise that plagued the it. 

Waiting was something that never set well with her, she hated it, counting it as a useless waste of time. Why should she wait when there were so many things that needed to be done? She was about to leave when Dr. Carr walked through the double swinging doors. "Max," he said in a monotone voice. "The bullet collapsed his left lung, we were able to repair it, but there is some internal bleeding where the bullet pierced an artery."

"So what does that mean?" Carmen asked, not even caring that for the fourth or fifth time in almost two days she had yet again been called Max. "He's going to be okay isn't he?" She was scaring herself with the concern that laced her question.

"I'm not entirely sure, he's very strong, a fighter, but we'll have to keep him for some time to make sure that there wasn't any permanent damage."

"Can I see him?"

"I'm not sure if that is such a good idea, you seem a little distraught, I think the best thing is for you to go to your apartment and get some sleep, you look as though you need it."

"All right, but I'm coming back first thing tomorrow. If that is all right with you? Here's my cell phone number call me if anything changes." she said softly, she hated being told what to do, but she knew that he was right, she did need to go home and take care of a few things, a few very important things.

Walking through the parking lot, she kicked her car in frustration, leaving a little indentation on the driver side door, throwing out a stream of curses to the sky at her stupidity. She wanted to know why she cared so much, she wanted to know what this man had awakened in her, what happened to Carmen the uncaring killer, who didn't care about anyone but herself. She hated it, hated it with a passion that was unbridled, she hated that feeling, the feeling that she cared for another human being other then herself.

The temperature had dropped considerably certainly below freezing and the rain was starting to become snow, which wasn't uncommon for Seattle. She drove down the interstate at lightening fast speed and was surprised to find no one on the roads, it was nearing 7 pm, usually a moderate traffic hour for a large city like Seattle, but she could almost bet that the temperature and the snow had deterred people from venturing out of their homes.

She made it through the sector check points in record time and was driving along the interstate when she decided that the car was too quiet, flipping the dial on the radio she turned it to one of the few all music stations that frequented the air waves, most others were news or talk shows and she certainly didn't have any interest in those.

Staring at the road, she noticed that as she got farther away from the city, it got darker and darker, as the trees became thicker and thicker, she turned on her brights hoping to make the road a little easier to see in the rising darkness. But the brights are what caused the accident, they glared on the road too harshly, blinding Carmen and making her swerve into the oncoming lane, and it just so happened that the lone car on the interstate was coming at the same time. She didn't feel the impact she didn't feel much of anything until the car came to a screeching halt as the hood impacted with a car and then by a rather tall tree about 10 feet from the edge of the road. 

She raised her head warily, turning her neck from side to side to make sure that it wasn't broken. She could feel blood slowly trickling down the side of her face, not a pleasant feeling. Pulling her arm up she wiped it away with the back of her hand, staining the material of her shirt. Looking through the windshield she saw a stray beam of light growing brighter.

"Hey are you all right?" said a strong female voice. The beam of light disappeared getting lost in the denseness of the woods surrounding them but reappearing through the driver window of the car. "Just stay still, I'm going to call an ambulance." The women pulled out a cell phone but before she had a chance to dial Carmen spoke.

"I'm fine please don't do that. I don't need an ambulance, I'd rather not have to deal with the authorities right now, I'm in kind of a hurry." She unbuckled the seat belt and moved to open the door, but the woman was standing in the way.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" The women questioned, "You could be really hurt, please let me call you an ambulance, I'd feel better if you let me do that."

"I'll let you call them, if you'll let me get out of my car." The women backed away as Carmen pulled her keys from the ignition, she was sure that she would be needing them, especially if she made it back to Manticore they held her security checkpoint key that allowed her to go anywhere in the building. Stepping out of the car, Carmen stumbled on a stray root from one of the trees surrounding them. The women caught her by the arm dropping her cell phone in her attempt to help Carmen balance.

The touch brought back a bunch of flashes for Carmen, children in hospital gowns, a young girl getting shot, a freezing day with children running through the woods. She pulled away instantly and looked up into the face of the women. She was Carmen's age and height with long blond hair, and blue eyes. There was something very familiar about her they way she held herself. "Max, is it really you? Logan told me you and Zack were dead, what happened?" Max just stared at the women not replying. "Max are you all right?" Max nodded.

"I'm fine, how's your car." Max said like her normal self, more worried about others than herself.

"Don't worry about my car, I hated it anyway, right now I'm more worried about you, Max what happened? Where have you been for the past 4 months?"

"I'll tell you later, right now I think it might be better to get out of here before someone comes by and sees this disaster all I need right now is to deal with the police, is your car still drivable."

"I think so, the hood of yours has been smashed it pretty bad, try starting it." Opening the driver side door, Max inserted the key praying that it started, the engine sputtered and then started. Not wanted to leave it sitting just incase it stalled she got in and looked at Syl who stated "I have a hotel, a few miles away follow me there we can patch you up, are you sure you can drive?"

"For the second time, I'm fine stop being the overprotective sister." Max said sternly.

"I can't help it, it's my job, I like being overprotective." With that she walked to her own car 50 feet away, starting it, she turned onto the road. She waited for Max to pull her car from around the tree and then drove away. Syl hoped that Max was really okay, she had the habit of lying so that people wouldn't worry about her, one day that habit of hers was going to backfire.

In the other car, Max was mumbling to herself about Syl, she knew that her sister would have a lot of questions about where she had been, and she was fully prepared to answer them. After she took down Manticore and the people who tried to hurt her and Logan. Knowing her sister as well as she did though, she knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere if she didn't tell her sister the truth and right when they got to Syl's motel.

A/N: Okay hope you liked this chapter please tell me what you thought about it. I feel like the chapter was a little awkward, maybe not oh well.


	11. Going Back

A Final Farewell

Chapter 11

A/N: Okay if you didn't guess it by last chapter's ending, the accident turned Carmen back into Max for real this time I promise. So on with the story please read and review I really enjoy hearing what you think of my story. Thanks for reading!!

Pulling up to a small sleazy motel, Max gawked at the sight of it, she expected her sister to stay in something a little bit more swanky. Getting out of the car, she was still unsteady on her feet, and it was odd to her that the accident had shaken her up so much. When she pulled up Syl was leaning against the side of her car staring into space, now she looked right at Max.

"So would you like to explain where you've been for the past four months?" Syl couldn't keep the anger that she felt from seeping into her voice.

"I can't tell you that." Max said softly.

"Can't or won't?"

Max whirled on her sister. "I want to tell you, but you'd hate me for some of the things that I've done."

"Max we've all done things that we aren't proud of, nothing that you've done could make me love you any less."

"I almost shot the man I love, Syl and then somebody shot him because I couldn't do it, and now he might die because of me."

"You didn't know who you were, you didn't know who he was, you can't blame yourself for what Manticore did to you." Max knew that Syl was trying to make things better but she wasn't succeeding very much.

"I saw his face and I felt nothing, not a glimmer of love, or recollection of who he was. Who you love isn't just someone that you forget, I could never forget him and yet I did. I let Manticore take me away from the one thing in my life that was stable, the one thing in my life that I could count on… and now they're going down for it."

"Max, come on we can't stand out here all night, you'll feel better after a good nights sleep and a shower, then in the morning we can talk rationally, maybe by then Logan'll be awake and you can put all your fears to rest." She made her way down the hall to her room, unlocked the door and stood in the doorway waiting for Max to follow.

"I'm not waiting around that long, I'll take a shower an hour nap at the most and then I'm out of here, Manticore will be burned down to the ground before first light."

"Max it's not that simple and you know it, you'll never make it in and out of there alive. Now come inside before you freeze to death out there." She put the space heater that was situated near the window on full blast, which by her terms was more like a very light low setting, but it kept the evening chill out of the room.

The room was small, but clean with two single beds and a miniscule bathroom. Dropping her things on the small table by the door Syl disappeared into the bathroom emerging a few seconds later with water dripping off her face. "So what do you remember?" Max had sat down in the chair near the table putting her head down on it.

Going to the small dorm size refrigerator, Syl grabbed out a bottle of water and set it down near Max on the table. She had learned long ago never to touch the water that came out of the taps in a big city such as Seattle it was almost guaranteed to be contaminated. Bottled water was hard to find and was expensive when you could get it, but at least it was clean, not that they could have caught anything from it anyway.

"Drink it, calm down, take a shower and sleep before you have a nervous breakdown. Impossible for us I know, but at the rate you're going, you're on the way to becoming the first one of us to crack- make that second one of us to crack under the pressure of being out here."

Twenty minutes later Syl was lying on one of the beds falling asleep, when she heard the door to the hotel room open and shut. Sitting upwards, she heard the shower still on in the bathroom and looking around the room she saw that Krit was home. "God Krit was the hell are you trying to do, scare the crap out of me." She said in a hushed voice.

"I thought you were asleep I didn't want to wake you. I saw your car what the hell happened?"

"I had a little run in with Max, literally. She's here taking a shower, she's had a long day."

"What do you mean you had a run in with Max, Syl, Max is dead you know that, you haven't been drinking have you?" Almost as if on cue the door to the bathroom opened and Max entered the main room. Krit looked as if he had been hit with a ton of bricks, his mouth opened into a wide 'o'. Without thinking he stepped forward and enveloped his little sister in a bear hug.

"How did you, what… I don't understand, how did you survive?" Krit was on the verge of squeezing Max so tight that it almost cut off her air supply.

"It's a long story, Syl will fill you in, because right now I have a gigantic bitch to take down." Shifting her attention to her sister, Max said, "Do you have any clothes that I can borrow, preferably black and comfortable. I only have the maids outfit from the hotel where I found Logan and I'd rather not wear that it's a little embarrassing."

"Yeah sure," headed to the chest of drawers on the front wall Syl pulled out a set of clothes, loose fitting black pants and a black long sleeve shirt. Max went into the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later.

"Max tell me you aren't going to do anything stupid." Syl frowned, she knew her sister all too well, she wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted.

"Don't worry, when I'm done Manticore will be gone for good, before anyone even realizes what's going on." The confidence in her voice was evident, she just hoped that, that confidence stayed with her throughout the next few hours.

"Just be careful, we don't want any replays of last time, none of us will be there to save your ass if anything goes wrong." Krit said matter-of-factly.

Smiling at her brother's concern she replied, "I know Krit, I'll be careful don't worry. Just stay here all right and after everything is done, there will be no more running, no more hiding, we can finally have normal lives. Or as close to normal as people like us can get." she said smiling sardonically. "If anything changes with Logan here's my cell phone number." Writing it on the small pad of paper on the table near the door. "I need to ask another favor… can I borrow your car, I don't think mine will make it to Gillette and back in one piece. Oh yeah and please." She said thinking it better to sound grateful and use some manners when asking for something on the higher side of big.

"Yeah, why not," Syl agreed instantly, knowing also that Max's car wouldn't make it, "I already smashed the crap out of it running into you, just don't blow it up or anything, I might need it later." Syl said knowing that it wouldn't do any good, she knew that Max didn't care what she destroyed as long as Manticore was taken down in the end.

"Thank you, and I promise that this time I will come back in one piece with all my organs inside my body and all my limbs attached." Max said trying to be funny but the wittiness of the joke was lost in the seriousness of the moment. Pausing for a moment to look at her sibling's faces she hugged both of them in turn and walked out the door glancing back only once to see Syl standing in the doorway with the keys to the car dangling from her hand. "I might need those." Stopping as Syl threw them to her, catching them expertly one handed, Max waved a last goodbye and was on her way.

Two hours and a tank of gas later she pulled up the long driveway to the compound. The compound looked menacing and this time she wasn't even coming there as a prisoner, she was coming there as a volunteer and she was starting to wonder if it was a mistake, coming back. She could have had a wonderful life away from Manticore, Logan and her could have left the country and started a life away from the confines of the city of Seattle. Away from everything that reminded her of what she had lost and everything that reminded her of the past she wished to forget.

She knew that nothing was that easy, she couldn't just leave behind the life that she had lead up to that moment. She had a job, she had friends and for what it was worth she had a life one that made her feel sometimes like a normal girl. The front door to the compound opened and she knew when 5-armed guards came to escort her into the facility that she was in deep shit, and she had masses of explaining to do.

Renfro sat behind her desk and was looking very unhappy at the moment. Lydecker was standing in the corner of the room staring out the window. Max sneaked a glance at him as she entered the room. "Ah, Carmen how wonderful of you to join us." She paused and gave the guards who stood by the door a venomous look, then motioned for them to leave the room. She waited as the door opened and closed as they exited, frowning she said, "Now would you like to explain to Colonel Lydecker and I why you didn't carry out your assignment, and even when it had been you proceeded to take him to Harbour Lights Medical."

"Ma'am people saw me go into his hotel room, I thought that if it looked like I made an effort to save his life then I would be ruled out as a suspect and as it is, Dr. Carr who I dealt with said that he's not going to make it. The bullet one of your goonies put in him collapsed his left lung and caused severe internal bleeding." Max stopped dead in her train of thought, the severity of the situation, immediately being brought to her attention was something that she had been trying to repress until that moment. "Now I would really like to get some sleep, please."

"You still have not explained to me why you didn't shot him at the penthouse." Renfro said suspiciously.

"I had no weapon, he had a gun turned on me so I jumped out the window to save myself. He followed me to the Space Needle where we fought, he got away and went to the hotel and I already told you what happened from there."

"Good enough, you are dismissed, show up here tomorrow morning at seven for your debrief, Colonel Lydecker will be conducting it." Renfro seemed a little preoccupied by something but before Max had a chance to call her on it, the phone rang and Max took it as her cue to leave the office. Opening the door, it was pulled from her hand by Lydecker who followed her out of the room.

"Good show you put on in there Max, I think even she believed it." He said quietly once the door was shut.

"How did you- no never mind don't answer that."

"An assassin would never take the care to explain her actions, she would have taken the criticism that her superior gave her and with a straight face. You never could keep your temper, when someone was questioned your actions." He smirked, "I'm just wondering how long you can keep this up."

"We'll you won't have to find out because I don't plan on staying here any longer that I have to which won't be long at all."

"And how pray tell do you plan to get out of here."

"I plan to leave this place in ashes, so if there is anything of value to you here you might want to get it out of the bui-" She stopped talking when a group of soldiers passed by, saluting to Lydecker who saluted back. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Depends on what the favor is."

"I need to talk to Al- I mean 494."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Max said walking away.

"Good luck, Carmen." Deciding not to answer him back she continued walking down the hall smirking at the use of her alias, he always knew how to push her buttons.

A/N: This chapter was originally shorter then this but after going back to this and revising at three thirty in the morning it got a little longer and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I hope you liked it as well, I would really like to know what your honest opinion of the story is, whether it be flames, criticism, constructive criticism, or warm fluffy bunny stuff. Please take the time to give me some feedback, I'd really like to know what I can improve on, or what I am doing well. So once again thanks for reading.


	12. Planning

A Final Farewell

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters they belong to James Cameron and the people at Fox.

A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews, I feel warm and fuzzy inside, please keep them coming. There are a few more chapters, three or four, maybe even five, depending on how long I want to make my chapters. I'm pretty battered down with exams and a in two weeks I leave for two and a half week in Germany so the chapters may be shorter than before and depending when I have free time the updates might be farther apart, farther then they already are as you know.

It was a long shot, he had no reason to help her, not after the way she had treated him, but he had expressed his wish once to get out of there, she just hoped that he forgave her. Her apartment was quiet almost deathly so, not even the ticking of a clock broke the silence, she hated it, quietness to her meant that something was wrong.

She collapsed on the couch and not ten seconds after she did so was there a knock at the door. Grumbling to herself, she got up and walked down the hall to the door, checking through the peephole she saw Alec standing in the hallway looking around impatiently. She saw him stop squirming when he heard the unlatching of the door, pulling it open slowly she

Stepping back into her apartment she allowed him to enter her apartment, motioning for them to follow her she led him though the living room and into the bathroom, the safest place in the apartment. When she had first been given the apartment she had known that they had cameras placed around the apartment. The bathroom was the only place she knew that didn't have them. She had learned how to avoid them expertly over the weeks and she could move deftly without them seeing her.

Alec gave her a fleeting look when he realized where they were headed and she could see a small smirk flit across his face. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes all she could think was 'men' one track minds all of them. Shutting the door as he entered behind her she turned on the shower just in case hoping that the sound of rushing water would drown out the sound of their voices if anyone happened to be listening in.

"So, what am I doing here?" Alec asked.

"I have a proposition for you, I need your help." As much as it pained her to ask for his help again she knew that she wasn't going to be able to succeed if she didn't have it.

"With what?"

"Manticore must be destroyed." she said just loud enough to be heard over the water.

"Wait say that again, because I don't think I heard you right, I thought you just said Manticore must be destroyed."

"Wow you do listen because that's exactly what I said, I need your help to take Manticore down." When Alec sighed Max knew he had conflicting emotions about the whole thing. "Listen, a friend of mine was hurt because of me, because of what they did to me, and I'm not about to let them get away with that. He may die and the need to pay for what they did to him, to me."

"Wait, how-"

"It's a long story one that I will be very willing to tell when I have the time but right now, I can only give you the short version. Manticore brainwashed me into thinking that I was somebody else, trained me to be an assassin and sent me to kill someone I know. I hesitated and because I hesitated he was shot and he may die because of it. I have lost too much, and suffered too long to let them do this any longer," trailing off she took a deep breath before continuing, "now will you help me or not."

"Max this is-this is huge but I don't see how we could do it."

"I have a plan, not a very good one granted, but it's a plan and it may work."

"May work, may work," Alec said in ever increasing loudness, before Max clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Just hear me out okay, and keep your voice down, they don't have cameras in hear but they may have microphones and if they hear… Anyway, when I was a kid there were times when we were able to escape the barracks and explore possible escape routes and the like. One time hiding from the guards I broke into a room that was like a command center, completely unguarded, it had all manners of buttons."

"I know the room."

"Well I used to always hear from the guys in charge that if anyone ever found out about what went on here they would cauterize the place, burn it to the ground, leaving no trace of evidence, that could be used against them. I have a feeling that, that was where it could happen, one button to let the transgenics out, and one to kill them all. They can't risk the exposure one button for it all would make sense."

"Max there are so many ways that this could go wrong, so many ways that, I don't know things could turn out and not all of them good."

"Listen, I'm going to do this whether you help me or not, but I'm going to do this, I won't just sit by and watch them destroy more lives when I can do something about it. Now are you in?"

Alec sat down on the toilet seat cover and looked down at the floor, Max could almost see the wheels turning in his head. After a few moments he broke the silence, "Okay, I'm in."

"Thank you, we'll have to do it tonight, it's the only way this can be done and over with. I need you to distract the guards anyway that you can, I need to get into that hallway, and I can hack the security panel, and I just need to make sure that I'm not interrupted."

"Sure whatever you need I'll do."

"I need you to start spreading the news, tell them to head for the south fence, I know about the X-7's patrolling the woods if I can find someway to distract them to the front gate, then maybe everyone else can sneak out the back. I'm going to release everyone then burn it, that way I'm sure that everyone gets out."

"Sounds like a plan."

"There is one more thing I have to take care of before we start, I have to visit a friend in the basement."

"In the basement, but that's where all the 'nomalies are."

"I know, but I have to see one that might help me. Uhh…"

"What is it?"

"You need to jump into the shower."

"Why?"

"Because if anyone is looking in and if by any chance the cameras did see us, we need to make it look like we were in the shower together."

"Could we…?"

"Don't you even think it. I'll turn towards the wall jump in jump out, I'll do the same, we have to make it look authentic."

Twenty minutes later they emerged from the bathroom soaking wet, scenarios kept running through Max's mind things that could go wrong, everything that she could think of. At the door they parted ways, hugging and promising to meet in an hour to start the plan, everything was in place and all they had to do was hope that they didn't fail.

A/N: Short I know and I'm sorry life has finally taken it's toll and I'm starting to feel the pressure of exams that are looming, I hope to have the next chapter up in a week or so and hopefully the story will be done before I leave for Germany, key word hopefully. But I'll have plenty of time to write while I'm on the plane so if not then definitely after I come back. Please review I want to know what you think, I'm actually in love with criticism it tells me what people think of my writing so please be blunt flames are welcome and I know most people don't say this, but appreciated, I hate, absolutely hate when people sugar-coat things it drives me insane. But that's not a very long trip and I'll be arriving there very shortly.

A/N: Oh and a big shout out to everyone who reviewed again, I don't have enough time to list names but you know who you are, and I am eternally grateful for all your suggestions, flames, whatever, thanks again and happy reading.

Rose.


	13. Escape

A Final Farewell

Chapter 13

A/N: Warm reception to the last chapter thanks for all the reviews, I hope to have the last few chapters up soon I'm glad that you like how I'm making the story resemble Designate This.

She had one favor to Joshua, and she wasn't sure if he was going to agree to it or not, it would put his very life in danger. She faced him not wanting to look him in the eyes.

"Joshua, I need to ask you a favor."

"Joshua, help little fella."

"Thank you, I need you to create a distraction."

"Distraction, good."

"I need you to find a way out of here, and run to the north gate while keeping out of the way of the X-7's. We're going to burn this place to the ground, and then you and the rest of the transgenics will be free. Do you understand?"

"Joshua be free?"

"Yes, all of us will."

"Joshua run to north gate, create distraction, got it little fella."

"Okay do you know a place out of here?"

"Joshua know the way out."

"Okay, I'll see you on the outside, you take care big fella."

Walking up the basement stairs, she was almost caught by a group of patrolling guards. Ducking behind the door just in time she waited until they passed and continued down the hall in the other direction. Alec and her had agreed to meet at the end of the hall with the control room. He would create a distraction and she would sneak down the hall and break into the room.

She wasn't fully sure what kind of distraction he was going to create but she could be sure that whatever he did would work, she could only hope. She caught his eye from the end of the hall and nodded, he nodded back and he went off down the hall. Within the next few minutes she saw a steady stream of guards running quickly past her. Knowing that Alec had done his job, she crept slowly along the wall keeping out of line of sight of the cameras.

The room had an electronic keypad on the outside of the door, but she knew that underneath the keypad was a manual override. All she had to do was pry the keypad off of the door to get to the handle underneath. Then she would be able to gain entrance to the room, hopefully without alerting anyone to her presence.

She had pocketed a small switchblade knife she kept in her room before she left, which was thin enough to slip under the cover of the keypad. Checking to make sure that no one was around, she flipped open the knife and slipped it in the seam. Prying slowly upward, the panel lifted away revealing the handle. The door opened easily from there pulling the handle, the door slipped into a hidden compartment in the wall.

Quickly shutting the door behind her she set to work, most of the buttons were label with the names of the separate barracks, but one in particular caught her eye. This one wasn't labeled and it was smaller than the others, she pushed it once and then waited. Looking over the other buttons she didn't see anything promising. Checking on the front of the consul she saw a button labeled "Break glass in case of emergency." Usually those kind of buttons were used to warn of fire not create it.

When she was fully sure it was safe to set the fires she punched the glass and heard shouts and screams coming from the other side of the door. From there she knew that she didn't have a lot of time. Once the fires were set she knew that the place would go up like a box of matchsticks. Pulling the door open again she headed quickly out into the hall, the whole place was in chaos transgenic were running everywhere.

Carefully replacing the keypad cover she punched it as hard as she could twisting the metal keypad making sure that no one else could gain access to the room after her. Making sure that no one could stop what they had already started. She started running toward the front entrance following the rush of people already streaming that was.

Running out of the building she turned back, remember one last thing that she had to take care of. She turned toward the medical wing hoping that he would still be there. Running against the current, she saw the stares of the people she passed, they wondered what the hell she was doing running back deeper inside the building.

The medical wing was the only part of the building not engulfed in flames, but she knew that it would be soon. The walls were still poster board white, but she could see the paint starting to bubble as the heat but not the flames traveled through the walls. She wasn't sure which way she had to go but she would recognize it when she saw it.

There it was, the window and through the halogen lights and her own self reflected in the glass she could see her brother, her CO and her friend, staring out from behind it. Throwing herself against the glass, it shattered, spraying both with sharp glinting shards. One hit her squarely in the face, slicing the skin just above her eyebrow, and continuing all the way down her cheek, the sharp point had missed her eye by just millimeters. She didn't feel the pain, all she cared about was getting her brother out.

He was no longer hooked up to any of the machines, but one side of his face was completely missing leaving metal in its wake. He barely glanced up at her when the glass broke and he barely glanced up when she dived through the window, landing on the floor right next to him. She took one look at him and cringed, his skin was a pale gray color and his one good remaining eye was dull and glassy looking.

"Zack, I need to get you out of here." When he didn't respond, she grasped his forearm and pulled him out of the chair he was sitting in. He pulled out of her grasp and turned towards her. A look of recognition coming over his face, he didn't speak, but he nodded and turned toward the broken window.

Placing one foot on the edge of the windowsill, he hoisted himself up and into the other room, doing the same Max jumped down. Walking purposefully to the swinging door she could still see people running outside of it. Glancing back to make sure that Zack was still behind her she continued with the rest of the people down the hall. This time she made out the front entrance and did so without turning to run back.

Every once in a while she would glance back just to be sure he was still behind her. He didn't look at her but she could feel his eyes boring into her back with every step. They had almost made it to the south gate, when a stream of soldiers came around the left side of the building, immediately open firing on the crowd of people making their way through a hole someone had cut in the fence.

Dropping quickly to the ground, most of the transgenics were able to avoid the flying bullets. But some were not so lucky, the screaming started again as bullets continued to rip through the air. "Everyone get down," she yelled over the resounding panic. Dropping to the ground she hoped that they would follow her example, they did. Guards continued to stream around the building, their guns glinting, from the spotlights overhead.

She distantly heard her name being called, turning quickly she saw Alec carrying two children under his arms with two more children running behind him. "Alec get them down." But he continued to run toward her, "Alec get down," She yelled once more, but it was too late. They had attracted the attention of the guards and before she could blink she saw Alec along with the children in his arms and behind him fall to the ground.

Max willed for them to get up, but they didn't moved none of them moved. Letting out a small cry, she felt rage building up inside her. But before she had the chance to act on her anger, the sound of gunshots rang out again. Max ducked her head not wanting to look up and see what kind of damage the guards were doing. When the shots stopped she chanced a look up again, there were no guards in sight.

Looking to the side she could see Zack who had dropped down beside her staring at something behind them. "What is it?" she asked quietly. Again it was as if he was ignoring her, but after a moment he stood up. Figuring he wouldn't be stupid enough to stand up if there was any danger, she followed suite. Looking back toward the fence she saw a line of particularly ugly looking transgenics holding guns. They had apparently raided the arsenal before they had escaped the building.

She knew that she should feel happy, that now they could get off the grounds without being stopped, but with Alec and those children just lying there after being shot down in cold blood, she just couldn't. Turning she saw Zack staring at her expectantly, but for some reason she just couldn't meet his eye.

Walking over to where Alec's body lay on the ground, she sighed, if only he would have listened to her. She knelt down beside him and felt for a pulse, it was strong and looking around him she couldn't see any blood. Finding it odd she flipped him over on his back, startled to see his eyes open. Knitting her brow and rocking back on her heels she looked around at the children scattered on the ground all of them were looking back at her, then slowly they started to get up.

Alec sat up quickly and grinned, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"How did you-?"

Pulling back his shirt Alec revealed a Kevlar vest beneath his clothes, the children were also revealed to be wearing the vests. "The wonder of bulletproofing, now if you'll excuse me, I have a life that I need to get to." He got up and started to walk away, the children following closely behind. Somehow, Max thought he would now become a surrogate father to the four children and she wished him all the luck.

"Hey Alec," she yelled as he turned around, "Thanks for everything."

"No problem, Max." With a wave he disappeared into the woods, the children disappearing also. She had a distinct feeling that sooner or later he would again pop up in her life, and she could safely say that she was sure a few more of her family members would follow.

A/N: I hope all you M/L lovers aren't that upset that there wasn't any interaction in this chapter, I don't know how long that will take. Still not sure how many chapters are left, I just have to see where my mind takes me, at least what's left of it. The ending is already planned out that I know will not change but how I get there will so please be patient while I work it all out. And once again reviews are very much appreciated so please I beg you review even if you hated it, tell me why!!! Thanks again for reading I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	14. Leaving

A Final Farewell

Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks for the reviews again please review this chapter, they make me feel happy.

"Before we go, I have to ask, do you remember me?"

"Of course, how could I forget a single thing about you?"

Max laughed silently to herself, "You said that exact thing to me before, it's good to see you remember that... it's good to have you back"

Turning away she watched the building burn, lighting up the woods around it, it was a welcome sight to her, and it meant so much. Her past was finally gone, and now it was time to start with the future. "Are you coming with me?" she asked Zack, and for a moment she thought that he wasn't going to answer.

"No, I can't Max."

"But I thought-"

"Well you thought wrong," he said roughly when her face fell he continued. "I didn't mean it like that, I would love to stay with you, but I have to find the others, they're still out there somewhere and I need to tell them what has happened, about all that you've done."

"Yes they do need to know, and they need to keep running."

"Max just listen to reason for a second, you know-" he stopped having half listened to her. "Wait did you just agree with me. My this is a once in a lifetime occurrence." Zack said half smiling.

"Yeah laugh it up," Max tried her hardest to make light of the situation, but knowing that he was leaving again made her heart heavy. Getting back to the subject she continued more seriously, "I know that I should be the last person saying this because I helped cause the downfall of this place. But they are not gone and they never will be, I know we would all like to think that they died in the fire, but you and I both know that they are still out there somewhere. They are just looking for an opportunity to set up another Manticore. They will never be gone, ever, and even if they were someone would find out about us and it would start all over again you know that as well as I do."

"You're right, they won't ever be gone as much as we wish they were, there will always be someone out there hunting for us." Pausing for a minute he looked at her with sad eyes. "I should probably get going, it's starting to get light, and you can be sure that Renfro and the rest of them will be back soon to see what's left. We probably shouldn't have stayed here as long as we have, we might have put ourselves in danger without knowing it."

Sighing because she knew that he was right she stared at the ground, "At least let me take you back to the city, you can get a car from there and you can be on your way, you'll never make it out of here alive if I leave you here."

"I guess that would be okay."

Max had to admit it to herself that her brother had changed drastically from the person her had been before, and she was starting to think that she liked this version better. He wasn't so protective; he didn't always think with his head anymore, he let his heart rule some of his decisions.

"Now where to get a car." Max said playfully.

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

Glancing over at the parking lot, she saw a few stray cars still parked, most had been taken by the other escaping transgenic. Most left were old and beat up, it was at that moment that she realized Syl's car was gone. She laughed silently to herself an amused smile playing over her face. Walking to the nearest car she was surprised to find the door unlocked, hoping to try her luck even more she looked for the keys. Not finding them she pulled wires out from under the dashboard finding the two she needed struck them together and was greeted with the purr of the engine starting.

Zack was still standing by the passenger side door, "And where exactly did you learn that?" he asked.

"Where do you think?" she said, giving him an ironic look.

"Sorry I asked." Zack said getting into the car.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Max looked in her rearview mirror to see the last of the building being consumed in flames. The rode in silence for a few miles before Zack flipped on the radio. Max looked at him as if to say, hands off the radio, but thought better than to tell him that.

Flipping through the stations he found one that he liked, a classical station, which was rare to find on the waves. Finding that she liked it too, she settled back in the seat for the long drive ahead. As she drove it gave her the chance to think things through, she was finally able to process everything that had happen, with Manticore, with Logan. She wasn't willing to give him up yet and she wasn't sure what she would do if her left her, all she knew was that she had to get to the hospital. Riding in silence for a few miles, Max finally asked the question that had been plaguing her mind.

"Zack," she began.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Why aren't you trying to stop me from going back?" she continued.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"You always used to say that living in Seattle would be the death of me. Why the change of heart."

"I don't know, maybe because I realize now that you can take care of yourself and that you're not a child that needs protecting anymore."

"I've been trying to tell you that for years now, it's good to see that an old dog really can learn new tricks."

Zack smiled at this, not a appeasing you smile, but a genuine smile, that was one thing that Max had missed. He only used it on rare occasions, but when it did show up Max knew that for whatever reason, Zack meant it. "I missed you." Zack said so quietly that initially Max wasn't sure if she had heard him right.

"I missed you too." It shocked her to hear something so sentimental come out of her brother's mouth. But the response she gave him, she hoped sounded sincere.

Coming upon the entrance to the city, she felt Zack's hand coming to rest on hers and looked up to meet his eyes. Nodding slightly to her, Max slowed the car to a stop on the roadside, she knew it was time to say goodbye. As she got out she began to feel the significant feeling of tears prick behind her eyes. Looking at the ground she tried to hide as the tears began to well up.

Looking up she saw Zack walking away, he had never been a good one with goodbyes and she knew that this one was no different. All the other times that he had visited her, he left just as he came, with no warning, not wanting to waste precious time with tears and useless hellos or goodbyes. But usually before he left he would give her a warning, nothing sentimental, just practical, not something that she didn't already know, maybe this time was different.

Even though he wasn't the same person she had once known, even though he probably didn't remember everything, if he ever needed her, he would find her, even if she was halfway around the world. That was just the way he was, always the bloodhound, able to find any of them. And hopefully with any luck he would remember where the others were, or at least how to contact them.

"Zack," she yelled to him, waiting for him to stop, when he didn't she went to him. Running down the road, he stopped to turn around as she reached his side.

"What?" he said softly.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked.

"I don't know, what happened the night we...you never should have had to do what you did for me." For some reason she couldn't bring herself to name the exact deed.

"Max, I told you a long time ago, when we were kids that I would die for you, for any of you. I love you, and this is my second chance, I've been granted a second chance, but I would gladly give it up, if it would mean I could save you again."

In that one single moment, Max was made undoubtedly aware of just how strong her brothers love was, for all of them. "I guess I just needed to hear you say that." Hugging him tightly around the middle, he seemed surprised at her initial action, but then gladly wrapped his arms around her. "How will I find you?" she asked.

"Don't worry I'll find you, wherever you are." Smirking slightly to herself, for already knowing the answer to her question before voicing it, she let him go, reluctantly. Once again she didn't say goodbye, noticing that neither did he. After everything that he had been through deep down he was still the same guy that he always was.

She stood watching his retreating figure until he was only a speck on the horizon. Sighing, she climbed back into the car and pulled away. She got through the sector checkpoint all right. Most patrolmen hated the graveyard shift and wouldn't give you trouble as long as you weren't acting suspicious. She drove rapidly through the streets of Seattle, as quickly as she dared.

Pulling into the parking lot of the hospital, she left the car running in the emergency lane. "Hey you can't park there." Someone yelled to her.

"Tow it." She yelled back, what did she care, the car wasn't registered in her name. "Logan Cale." She said to the lady at the front desk, "I'm looking for Logan Cale's room." The woman was about to talk when the phone rang. Max finally pushed back her breaking point reached over the counter and ripped the phone cord out of the phone. "Lady, where is Logan Cale's room."

"Ma'am you need to calm down."

"Lady I am calm, but you sure as hell don't want to see me riled up. Now where is Logan Cale's room?"

"He's in recovery, on the third floor. But ma'am you can-" Before the woman had a chance to finish, Max was sprinting away from the desk. When the elevator didn't come right away after pushing the button, Max automatically ran to the stairwell and took the stairs two at a time to the third floor. Running down the hallway she dodged the random gurneys pushed towards the walls. The door was closed and the blinds were drawn, allowing no one to see into the room. Not bothering to knock on the door she walked right in.

A/N: Okay, I know bad place to end, but the chapter was getting long, forgive me. I hope you liked the way that I ended things with Zack, for those of you who voiced concerns. In addition review please; I appreciate them, no matter what they say. It's just nice to get feed back from people who have read my story. Thanks for reading.


	15. I'm Sorry

A Final Farewell

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, I only use them for my own plots.

A/N: Okay, I don't know what a recovery room looks like in a hospital, because I've never been in one, nor anyone I know, so therefore my interpretation of one might be off. But that's what this is my interpretation, so don't blame me if it's completely wrong. Also there are about 4 more chapters in the story I think. Happy reading.

A/N: Also I know it's kind of late in the game to be asking but is anyone willing to be my beta, if so please email me at singerchik1988 at aol. com I would appreciate it a lot if you could. Thanks so much.

Walking in, she was hit with the strong smell of ammonia. The room was completely sterile, void of anything personal, except for Logan's glasses sitting on the table by the bed. She knew she didn't have a lot of time, but she wanted to get out what she had to say before she lost the nerve, to face him, even if he couldn't hear her.

There was a small wooden chair, placed by the bed, sitting in it, she took Logan's hand in her own, it was heavy and much to her dismay incredibly cold. But it was a wonderful feeling, touching him again, she realized at that moment just how much she had missed being in his presence.

Whispering she started, "God, I don't even know where to start. So much has happened, but I guess the most logical place is at I'm sorry. For ever, even letting myself forget you, for almost letting them make me believe you were the bad guy, when I should have known all along that it was them I should have be fighting. But I..." closing her eyes she tried to compose herself before she continued. "I had no choice, what they did to me. Why am I making excuses, I shouldn't be making excuses, that isn't what you want to hear. I don't even know why I came here...wait yes I do, to come see if you were still alive after what I did to you." she said almost bitterly.

The silence in the room except for the heart monitor and ventilator was almost disturbing. But the silence was almost all too quickly broken by the sound of feet pounding in the hallway. "That would be security." She turned to leave, but turned back, kissing him softly on the lips and whispering "I love you," she left the room, walking casually down the hallway past the guards, turning her face away as they went by, she went to the waiting room that was down the hall.

She decided to make herself comfortable for the night, she wasn't leaving the hospital until she knew that he was okay. It was empty so she could lay on one of the worn out couches. She lay staring at the ceiling for over an hour, listening to the sounds of a hospital at the peak hours of business.

Finally the pull of sleep finally allowed her to get the rest that she needed. She could go days without sleep, but the past few days had really pulled on her reserves of energy. She slept dreamlessly, and was awakened only once, when another woman sat down in the waiting room with a crying baby. She tried to ignore the baby, but the screaming emulating from it were screams of hunger or tiredness. She turned to face the back of the couch and stared at the worn out fabric. Sighing she closed her eyes, the baby was quiet now, turning her head she heard the mother singing softly to the tiny form. Her voice drifted over to where Max was laying, it was a soft lullaby she had never heard before, but it was sweet and it put Max to sleep as well as the baby.

She slept for a few more hours before get up, she stood, and folded the blanket and draped it across the back of the couch, leaving it for the next waiting loved one to use. Glancing around, the waiting room was still empty, the mother who had been there earlier with the baby, had left sometime while she slept.

Smoothing her hair, she checked the hallway to make sure that no security guards were lurking around to catch her and escort her off the grounds. The coast was clear and she walked slowly down the hall, she knew that she looked terribly out of place in her black clothes. Not even close to anyone's idea of belonging there.

She was starting to wonder if she belonged anywhere, with Logan she had always known her place, but if she lost him, she didn't know what she was going to do. She didn't dwell on it, she wouldn't let herself believe anything but that he was going to be okay. That was what she had to believe in, and that was all that she was going to believe in.

The blinds and the door to the room were still closed, but this time she knocked on the door before walking in just in case he was awake. Receiving no answer she concluded that he must still be asleep, therefore she walked right in again. But was greeted with a sight that she could have done without.

The hospital bed was completely empty, the sheets folded up nicely, turned down at the top, evidence that they had been freshly changed. She stepped in the room a little further, checking the bathroom, but as the bed revealed, the room was empty. Max restrained her mind from thinking the worst, but that was difficult to do with so many scenarios running through it.

Throwing the door open she power walked down in the opposite direction from where she had come to the nurses' station. No one was there, but the charts were stacked up on the counter. Checking over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming, she flipped through the stack of files. She found the one she need, Cale was all it said, opening the cover a big red stamp was put across the front of the first page, and it said DECEASED.

Blinking her eyes rapidly, she checked to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She was too in shock to do anything besides drop the file on the ground and walk away, to in shock even to cry. Her head felt like it was floating as she made it to the parking lot. Realizing that she no longer had a car, she started to walk.

Without knowing where she was going she continued to walk, until she stood outside of her old apartment building. Walking inside the building she walked up the stairs and down the hall until she was standing in front of the door to her apartment that she used to share with Original Cindy. Raising her hand slowly she was going to knock on the door when she realized that Cindy was probably at work. Turning away, she backed up against the wall and slid to the floor, burying her head in her knees. Learning about Logan's death, finally brought her over the edge.

She heard the floor creak and looked up to see a stunned Original Cindy, holding a bag of groceries, which she promptly dropped on the ground when she saw Max's face. "Max," she said softly disbelief contending with the fear in her voice. "Don't let me be dreaming...Max," O. C. said reaching out to touch Max as if to make sure that she was really real. Catching her hand Max held it in her own.

"Hi." Max replied, her voice filled with pain.

"How are you he-? ... No, I'm not even going to ask, you're here and that's all that matters." Her eyes filled with tears as she wrapped Max in a hug. Pulling away reluctantly she examined Max's face, seeing the pain in her friends she asked, "Max what's wrong?"

"Logan's dead, didn't the hospital call, I gave your number in case of an emergency, and I figured they would have called you."

"They didn't, maybe they didn't have a chance too. Max I'm so sorry, how did it happen?"

"It's a long story." Max said miserably.

"Well we have all the time in the world, here," O.C. said opening the apartment door. They sat in the living room as Max shared her story, Original Cindy sat silently. Just listening as Max poured her heart out to her best friend.

Telling her story took Max the better part of three hours, then she wanted to know all about how everyone else was doing. By the time they were done it was 11pm and Cindy was ready to go to bed. After Cindy had shut her door, Max walked around the apartment, and found that Cindy had kept everything as it had once been. Even Max's room had stayed untouched. It was dusty but everything was in its rightful place.

What caught Max's eye were the pictures of her and Logan, which lined the wall. There were few, but they reminded her of happier times. Times that they had spent together, just talking, laughing and eating, Max smiled a little. She promised herself that, she had to be strong, it's what Logan would have wanted.

Going back to the living room, Max stared out the picture window, onto the street below. The world had seemed to stand still while she had been gone, everything was the same, except Logan. She had never had a chance to say that she was sorry directly to his face, he would never know.

"God Logan, I'm sorry," she said aloud. She heard movement and turned around.

A/N: Hehehe, don't you wish you knew who it was.


	16. His Apartment

A Final Farewell

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it.

A/N: Okay, next chapter, sorry for the wait, my computer is a piece of crap and erased the first draft I had of this chapter. Okay, now without further ado, the next chapter.

Turning her head slowly to the right, she saw Cindy walking out from her room. "Hey what are you still doing up?" she asked.

"Just thinking" Max replied.

"Well I just wanted a drink, so then I'll leave you alone with your thoughts."

"Hey Cindy?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think I'm poison?"

"What, who made you think that?"

"Never mind, it's just something someone said to me."

Not convinced, Cindy replied skeptically, "Okay."

"I'm going out for a walk, I need to clear my head, and since my bike in nowhere to be found, it's my next best option."

"Okay, just...call if your not coming home."

"I will."

Getting up from the couch, Max walked past Cindy, and to the door.

"Hey Max?"

Turning Max replied, "Yeah."

"It's good to have you back, I missed you."

"I missed you too." With that, Max found herself on the street, walking down the familiar stretch of road, which led to Logan's old apartment, Fogle Towers, top floor, penthouse.

Max couldn't get out of her mind the question that she had asked Cindy. It was something that Renfro had said to her before that had reindoctrinated her. Maybe she had been right, everyone that Max loved got hurt sooner or later. Her brothers and sisters were the greatest evidence of that. Zack, Brin, Ben, Tinga...Zack had died for her, and even though he was alive, she knew that she had hurt him. Brin had been reindoctrinated, when she and Zack had given her back to Manticore because she didn't want to die. Ben and Tinga were both dead because of her, Ben by her own hand, but only because he had asked her too. Tinga, because she hadn't been able to protect her, Tinga had given herself up for her son, something she wouldn't have had to do, if Max had protected her son better. She was poison, and nothing could change that.

She stood on the sidewalk in front of the apartment building, staring up at the boarded up windows of his apartment, she wondered if the super had done that. Breaking into the apartment was easy, she had done it so many times before that she had lost count. The apartment was dark, but since all the windows had been boarded over she decided that it was safe to turn on the light.

She felt so at home here, she had spent so much time, with Logan around the computer in the den, eating with him in the kitchen or laughing with him in the living room. So many memories were attached to this place, good, bad and inbetween. Some she could do without, but others she wouldn't trade for the world.

Picking things up that had been knocked over, she tried to put the place in order again, the apartment looked like it had been searched probably by Manticore's lackeys. But she had another motive; she wanted to erase any evidence there was of her ever being there. Anything that could be traced back to her she wanted out of there, she knew that his family would be coming soon to take away his things. They knew about her of course, but they didn't know what Logan did for a living.

She picked up the pictures that he had of them and put them in the bag she had grabbed before leaving her apartment. It looked like most of them had been taken, but the few that remained she took. His answering machine had a few messages on it, pressing play she listened. The first was one that she had left him, from four months ago; she couldn't believe that he had kept it all this time. The other few were from his family. She erased the message from her and left the others on the machine.

Going into the bedroom she searched through the drawers, she had left some of her clothes there, so if she needed to change at his place she could. Taking them out she shoved them into the bag along with the picture of her that was on the nightstand by his bed. The room still smelt of him, his specific scent that almost drove her crazy when she was in close proximity.

Breathing in deeply she continued the cleaning up process, all that remained were the files. The ones that had been left in the den, along with the computer. They had been searched through, carelessly thrown back in the file cabinet. Most she knew Logan probably would have taken, and dropped off at Bling's apartment for safe keeping, so that he could continue Eyes Only's work if something happened to Logan.

Every time that Max had broken into his apartment, she had always found Logan in front of his computer, typing away. She noticed that the computer had been shot through, smiling to herself "Always thinking on your toes," she said out loud.

She pulled all the files from the cabinet no matter what they were, she wanted to make sure that no one found out who Logan was...had been. She was about to shut the bottom drawer, when she noticed a metal ring on the bottom. Putting one finger through it, she pulled upward, revealing a locked box underneath. Pulling the box out she tried to open it, finding it locked she looked for the key.

Tearing the den apart she was unable to find the key, finally getting a long knife from the kitchen she was able to pry the top open what she saw surprised her, there weren't any files in it at all. Only a hand-written leather bound book, flipping through she saw dates printed at the top, and the realization that she came to surprised her, it was his journal. The last link that she had left of him. There were also fake identification papers intended for her use. A passport, a social security card, a license and VIP sector pass all under the name of Max Santos. He always thought of everything.

Farther down in the box she pulled out stack upon stack of hundred dollar bills, totaling over fifteen thousand dollars, enough to keep anyone happy for a while. It felt wrong to take the money, but along with the money she found a letter, addressed to her, in Logan's handwriting. Opening it, she read,

Max,

I wrote this letter a while ago, knowing that you would find it if something happened to me. I guess I always knew in my heart that you weren't dead, because surely I would feel it. Like surely I would feel like a part of me was missing, I held you in my arms as you died, but I never felt like you were really gone. Now that I've seen you, I know I was right all along, you weren't really gone, now the only question is how to get you back, the real you, not the persona that Manticore created. Maybe now I don't have the chance, because why would you be snooping through my things if something hasn't happened to me. I left the money and the journal here for you. Knowing that you would appreciate the money, and the journal, I don't know, maybe just to have. The identification papers will be useful to you if you need to get out of the city everything that you need to make a fresh start is there. I know you'll figure out the real you, you'll remember who you are, and you'll remember me, and all we've shared together. Goodbye, Logan

That was it, no sentimental ending, just goodbye. He had written it before he went to the hotel, and left it for her to find. Taking the journal to his bedroom, just to feel close to him, she started to read. The journal started the day they met, detailing everything, what he had been doing the moment that she had dropped through the skylight. What she had been wearing, what she had said, what he had said, he remembered everything.

She read through everyone, marveling, at how much the journal read like a science fiction novel. So many things seemed like they could have come right out of the movies, but they had lived them, they both had. Then all of a sudden, the journal entries stopped, on the day she had supposedly died. It was like he couldn't bear to write what happened. Like after that moment that one moment in time, his life had stopped.

Putting the book down, she rested her head against the pillow behind her. She lay thinking back on the times they had spent together, the scenes of her life playing before her like a movie. The first time that she had kissed him, when she thought she was leaving with Zack, but had ended up returning when she found out Logan was sick.

They had saved each other's lives a considerable amount of times. Maybe too many times to count, but each time the debt was repaid ten fold. Not only had Logan, saved her life a few times, but he had also saved the lives of her brothers and sisters. That was a debt that could never be paid back. But she sure would have damn well tried.

A/N: Okay, I know it wasn't a noise from a person you wanted and I know this chapter was boring, I was bored writing it, but in the end it was necessary to the story, if not only to set the scene for the upcoming chapters. But also to cure me of the damnable case of writers block that I seem to have been plagued with recently. But I'm sure lots of reviews can cure me of that real quick, they always give me the encouragement I need to turn out a new chapter. Okay, enough of my babbling please continue to praise me by clicking the little pink button. Now REVIEW!!!!!


	17. Telling the Truth

A Final Farewell

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Don't own anything of it, all belongs to the important people.

A/N: I guess I need to rephrase when I said that the last chapter would be important, it was to just set the scene, and to get a better insight into Max's head and what she was thinking, sorry to anyone that I confused, I actually forgot I wrote that in chap 16, sorry, forgive me. So now I have nothing more to say, imagine that.

Eruanne: Thanks, I really appreciate the offer, but my friend Mia offered to do it, and since you said you were really busy, I didn't want to burden you. So here is my first beta chapter. Hehehe

She dreamed of Logan as she lay in bed, the last time that she had seen his face. How hurt and in pain he had looked as he lay in the hospital, limp and cold. She slept in his bed that night, and dreamt that he was beside her standing next to the bed. When she opened her eyes all she could see was darkness. One of the frequent brown-outs had cast the apartment into shadow. Disabling all the lights in the entire building until the power came back on.

Sure enough half an hour later the lights flickered back on dim at first and then increasing in brightness. Brown outs usually came in threes or fours, so she found the candles that Logan kept in the kitchen drawer. She placed them around the apartment but didn't bother to light them, for chance that the brown out had been a fluke. She took one back to the bedroom with her, lighting it with a match she set it on the nightstand next to the bed.

The flame danced as an unidentified breeze swept through the room, just as another brown out hit the neighborhood. Sighing, she grabbed the candle, soon the apartment was cast in a red, orange glow as the candle light hit the walls. The apartment was quiet, only broken by the sound of sirens sweeping through the streets below, looking for troublemakers to bring in.

An incredible wave of sadness flooded through Max, but she didn't know why. The apartment seemed so empty without him there. But there seemed to be an underlying cause to her pain, it could have been sadness. Sadness usually felt different, maybe a dull ache, but this felt like it was gnawing at her heart. Then one word came to mind; guilt that's what it was an incredible guilt.

She couldn't stay in the apartment any longer, the memories that flooded over her were too much to bear. She had spent the entire morning, afternoon and evening, reading his journal, without realizing it. She cast one more look around the apartment and walked out for what she knew would be the last time. She arrived at her apartment only to find a note pinned to the door. Ripping it off it read,

Max,

Went to Crash, come join us.

O. C.

Max wasn't ready to face her friends, but she knew that sooner or later she would have to, so better sooner than later. She dressed in her usual, her black leather jacket, black cargo pants, and a black t-shirt. She still had her Jam Pony sector pass which made it easy enough to get from sector to sector although she hadn't actually worked there, in what had it been five months?

Crash was crowded as usual so no one was extremely aware of her presence in the bar. Cindy saw her before the others did, walking up to her Max asked, "Did you tell them?"

"Yeah, they were pretty shocked, but I think they understand."

"You think they understand? Either they understand or they don't." She hadn't meant for it to come out as bitter, but she guessed that was they way she had sounded. "I'm sorry, it's just that I've been hiding what I am from everyone that I know and love for so long to have so many people know, it just seems kind of..."

"Scary? Max I've known you for almost four years, and they've known you longer than me. When I found out, yeah I was scared shitless, but I got over it. They know who you are, what you are don't matter. They just glad to have you back to look out for their asses."

This put a smile on Max's face which contagiously put one on OC's. "Come on, let's get this dealio over with." She walked up to the table only to be greeted with a gigantic group hug from Sketchy and a firm handshake and then a hug from Herbal, who Max couldn't help but notice was dressed like a normal person, not a Rastafarian. "Herbal, since when you start dressing like Normal."

"Since I and I quit workin' at Jam Clydesdale and started working for a law firm."

"Herbal's gone all respectable on us has he? What happened to it's all good all the time?" Max said quoting Herbal from better times.

"Well, it's now all good all the time after I quit workin' for Normal, now I earning twice the meager salary he payin' his slaves."

Now Max looked to Sketchy, "So what about you Sketch, you still hauling the packages for the dough?"

"Yeah, no other place would take me, apparently when I used Normal as a reference, he said I was a slacker and wasn't worth the money he was paying me."

"And yet you still continue to work there." Cindy said.

"Cindy told us what happened with Logan, how are you holding up?" Sketchy asked.

"I'm okay, I think, I'm dealing with it, I just can't believe he's gone."

"You'll make it through this Max, we're here for you sistah."

"Thanks Herbal, it's nice to know you guys don't hate me for lying to you all this time."

"We were shocked to be sure, but somehow when it sunk in it all seemed to make sense." Sketchy said in a moment of wisdom.

"Thanks all of you for sticking with me, I know I haven't been the most forthcoming person, but it's good to know that you still trust me."

"No matter what boo, we are always here for you." Cindy said.

"Thanks, and to show my gratitude drinks are on me."

"You sure, boo?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, Logan left me some money, and I'll have plenty left over for a bus ticket out of the country."

"What?!?" The three said in unison. There was a jumble of protests "Max what do you mean?" "Max you can't just leave." "Boo you trippin"

"All of you stop, just listen okay. I love you all to death, you know that. But this city holds so many memories of him, of everyone I have lost, I have so many ties here. But something inside me is screaming, that I need to get away, clear my head. And I know I can't stay here, they'll come looking, I know they will." Max said looking to each one of them.

"We'll be prepared for them." Cindy said.

"No you won't, when they come they will strike fast without warning. And sooner or later one of you will get caught in the crossfire and I don't need that on my conscience, you'll be safer without me here."

"But we need you here." Cindy said.

"No you don't, I know how strong you are, you can survive without me. But these two bozos," Max pointed her thumb towards Sketchy and Herbal, "need your supervision."

"What are you suggesting Max that me and my homeboy Herbal here can't take care of yourselves." Sketchy preceded to chug down his beer, choking and spitting it across the table.

"My point exactly."

"Where will you go?" Herbal asked.

"I don't know anywhere but here I guess, out of the country if that's possible, I'll catch the first bus out of here tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow? I thought we would have more time." Cindy said.

"I know, but the longer I stay, the more danger I put all of you in and the harder it's going to be to leave you all again."

"I don't care, I've just got you back boo, and now your skipping out on us, I didn't think it was in your nature to run from your problems." Cindy accused.

"I'm not running, I'm doing what I have to, to keep all of you safe. I should probably get going." They all shared a group hug and parted ways, Cindy and Max were headed to their apartment, Sketchy and Herbal were indulging themselves on booze at the bar.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Max asked.

"Who knows, but I'm sure we'll be fine now that they know the have a genetically revved up female looking out for them. But right now I'm more worried about you. How are you holding up?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Cause we love you and we're worried about you, his loss hurt you, we all can see that, maybe we just want to make sure that you're not going to snap on us."

"I'm not I promise, I have lost a lot of other people in my life and I have yet to snap what makes you think that I'm going to now."

"That's exactly the point, you held all their deaths in, sooner or later they're going to boil over and you're not going to be able to control it."

"I'm okay, this is just the way that I deal with things."

Looking at her watch, Cindy said, "We should probably get going we don't want to get in trouble with the po-pos for breaking curfew."

"You go ahead, I need to do some more thinking, I can take care of myself you that, I'll see you in a bit." She watched OC head in the direction of home. Smiling after her friend she felt a hand on her shoulder.


	18. One Last Time

A Final Farewell

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, it all belongs to Fox and James Cameron.

A/N: Okay here is another chapter, thank you so much for you reviews. Sorry about the wait, I've been pretty busy with school starting and all forgive me.

Grabbing the hand she whipped around quickly, bending the elbow and the wrist in different directions. "You can break my wrist, but I'm not leaving." a familiar voice said.

Looking down, Max took a step backward and dropped his arm, "No you're dead," Max said to him, "why are you doing this to me, why?" she said to no one in particular. "It's not possible, I'm dreaming, I have to be dreaming, any moment I'm going to wake up from this and it will all be a very nice dream." Max said pinching herself. When it hurt she knew she wasn't dreaming, "Well if I'm not dreaming than you must be a ghost, that is the only possible explanation for this, I'm hallucinating or you're a ghost." Max said walking away.

"You're not dreaming, you are not hallucinating and I am definitely not a ghost, I don't think," Logan said, he stepped forward and kissed Max, pulling away he finished his sentence, "See."

"How? I don't understand, your file said you were dead, I saw it, I went to your room and you weren't there." Max babbled.

"It's a long story, one that I am fully willing to tell when we have more time, but right now, we better get out of the street because there's a hover drone coming."

"Good idea. How? I just want to know, how come you're not trying to kill me after what I did to you?" she said as she followed him into an alley.

"You weren't yourself when you tried to kill me, plus I heard what you said in the hospital."

"You heard what I said, why didn't you-you acknowledge what I said."

"I didn't want to destroy the moment."

"Well you almost destroyed my life by just sitting there." She said hitting him in the shoulder.

"Hey careful, I haven't fully recovered from surgery yet."

"How are you up and around already?"

"Injection of nanobots that Sam gave me, cost a fortune but they already started repairing the damage."

"I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah me too, hey my hand is numb, is it supposed to feel like that?"

"You almost died and you're joking, you must be feeling better."

"Yeah I am."

She threw her arms around him, careful to mind his injury. "How did you find me here."

"There's a tracer on the money, handy device I cooked up so if it was ever stolen I could find it, it also helped to find you."

"Good idea. But why weren't you at the hospital, why did your file say you were dead."

"Because I was clinically for about five minutes, apparently after you left, my heart stopped, I had signed a DNR but apparently Sam Carr revived me against my wishes. The nurse put on my chart deceased, which technically was a godsend because the only one who knows at the hospital that I'm alive is Sam. Which makes it very easy for me to disappear, Sam wrote a death certificate so if anyone came looking I would be dead, it makes it easy to disappear."

"So you're dead."

"In one sense of the word, Logan Cale the name is dead."

"What about your family? What is Sam going to tell them?"

"They don't bury anyone anymore, so he gives them an urn of ashes and says that it's me. They don't know any different and they don't come looking."

"That's horrible."

"Not for them, the black sheep in the family is gone, the family name is clean."

"Manticore is gone." Max said suddenly.

"What?" He stopped and looked at her.

"I brought down Manticore, with the help of a few friends."

"It's gone, really gone."

"The building is at least, and now there are a lot more transgenics out in the world, I freed them all, now they do the rest. As for Renfro and the rest of them, they'll never stop hunting us, until they get each one of us back in cages. But it will take a while for them to regroup giving I hope the rest of us the chance to blend in maybe with any luck the chance at normal lives."

"I said once you'll never be normal, I stick to that. Now there is one thing that I don't understand, how did you survive, I watched you die."

"Zack took his own life for me, they gave me his heart, donated the rest of his organs to other X5s, basically parted him out like a car. He survived, with nanobots in his bloodstream, and gave him artificial organs. I got him out, he left as usual to go find the others to tell them what happened. But he's changed, there were no long speeches about staying in Seattle and how it was going to get me captured or killed."

"What was with the whole brainwashing thing?"

"They made me believe that you were the enemy and then sent me to kill you. But as obvious that didn't happen. I found Syl and Krit too, told Zack where they were, he'll tell them what happened."

"So what are you going to do now? Now that Manticore is gone where will you go?"

"Figured, I'd travel, there is nothing holding me here anymore, I don't have a job, my friends understand my need to get away, the only thing holding me here is you." Max said glancing up at him.

"I'm holding you here?"

"Uh-huh."

"How?"

"I need to know how you feel, in your letter you said that you loved me, but did you really mean it, or were you saying it as in a friends only way?"

"I meant it with all my heart. Now I need to know how you feel, in your letter you wrote that you loved me, did you mean it or was it only in a friends way?"

"I meant it with all my heart."

Max glanced up at him, smiling slightly and watching him smile also. They kissed again passionately, only pulling away to catch their breath. "I missed you." Logan said.

"I missed you too." Max replied.

"So where do we go from here?" Logan asked.

"I don't know, Mexico or maybe Canada. As long as I'm with you it doesn't matter."

"How about Europe, there's a boat sailing tomorrow from LA to Asia. We can go through Asia and maybe go to Paris or Vienna. Maybe get married." Logan said the last sentence softly but just loud enough for Max to here.

"What did you say?"

"I said maybe get married."

"Did you just ask me to marry you?"

"Are you saying yes?"

"If I'm saying yes?"

"Then we'll get married."

"Then I'm saying yes." They hugged and kissed.

Logan pulled a ring box out of his pocket and held it out to Max. "I've been holding on to this for awhile, just in the off chance that things would take a romantic turn, and they have."

Opening the box Max smiled, "Good clarity, colorless, I could fence it for seven thou easy."

"Come on, let's take an extended vacation."

"That sounds like a good idea, I love you Logan."

"I love you Max." With that they walked down the street together.

"I was thinking, how about we get married at the Eiffel Tower."

"Whatever you want is fine with me."

"Good, cause I also want kids."

"Kids!?!"

A/N: It's done, finally done, and you have no idea how happy I am that I finally got it finished. Thank you to everyone that reviewed, it means a lot to me that you took the time. My next story is already out As Yet Untitled, please check it out if you haven't already. Thanks.


End file.
